Cupid's Last
by chickay
Summary: 12/11 Rewritten Chapter 15: Perverts and Crackheads and Tramps (oh my!). Presentday. ScoutsGenerals. Eight unsuspecting friends. Two fumbling matchmakers. One girl's dying wish. One year to get it done. The countdown begins.
1. June: Once Upon a Time

**Cupid's Last**

**Once Upon a Time**

**June

* * *

**

Serena Tyler loved fairy tales. As a child, she made her aunt, Trista, tell her fairy tales all the time.

"_Auntie Trista!" She would beg every night, safely tucked into her blankets. "Tell me a story!"_

_And Trista Millard would smile and ask every night, "What story would you like to hear?"_

_And every night the girl would reply, "Tell me about Serenity! Tell me the Legend again!"_

_Then Trista would sit on the bed with the girl and wrap one arm around her. Playing with Serena's blonde tendrils, Trist began the story in her soothing voice,_

"_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Serenity and she was the princess of the moon, protected by strong guardians. One day, a war broke out and the Princess' guardians left her so that they could fight. But when they didn't return, the Princess enlisted the help of a Devil to help her. She found them eventually, but they were under a spell, one that wouldn't let them wake up. The sweet Princess then decided to make a deal with the Devil. In return for her soul, the life in her heart would be given to her guardians. The Devil agreed and persuaded the Gods to make this to happen. When everyone woke up, they found Serenity smiling as she slept for eternity on the beautiful white moon._

Serena loved this story above all others. It wasn't a regular fairytale, but Serena wasn't a regular girl.

* * *

"Thank you for your time, Dr. Maui." Serena Tyler said happily. Dr. Luna Maui stared at then young woman incredulously as she suddenly stood up, purse on her shoulder. She flashed Luna a million-watt smile that matched the gleam in her bright blue eyes as she walked to the door. "Take care!"

The good doctor was so shocked that she didn't move from behind her desk until her office door closed shut, her newest patient on the other side. Stumbling with surprise, Luna managed to stub her toe dashing outside his office. She glanced about wildly down the hallway of the hospital, catching a glimpse of golden hair walking into an empty elevator.

"Miss Tyler!" The said blonde turned around and smiled at her doctor.

"Good-bye, Dr. Maui!" She waved cheerily with (what Luna perceived was) the most clueless expression she'd ever encountered. "Thanks again for the diagnosis!" Serena pressed the button for the ground floor, not noticing the exasperated look on her doctor's face. "Hmm…This really does mess with my schedule." She said softly as the doors began to close. Her face brightened slightly. "Oh well, I always did do better under pressure."

She giggled at her own joke and then gave a short gasp as a hand suddenly came between the doors of the closing elevator car. "Dr. Maui!"

"Miss Tyler," Luna said through gritted teeth. "I don't think you understand the magnitude of your condition."

"What's there to understand, Doctor?" Serena asked, smiling sweetly. "I'm dying right?"

In the silence that followed, Luna stared at Serena, mentally wondering if perhaps she had judged her newest patient a little too quickly. Serena smiled at her, seeming to sense her confusion and amazement. She gently reached out a small hand to her arm. Luna mentally marveled at how petite she was.

"Thank you for your concern Dr. Maui." Serena said. "But I'll be just fine."

Suddenly, the seemingly small hand gathered such a strong force that pushed the good doctor out of the elevator.

"Good day Doctor." The next thing Luna knew, she was watching the grinning face of Serena Tyler disappearing behind the closing metal panels, waving goodbye at her.

The sliding doors of the entrance of the hospital slid aside, bringing in a gust of air that whipped around the 18-year-old's body. She sighed deeply just as her cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Serena! Where the hell are you?" Serena couldn't help but smile as she heard the voice of her hot-tempered friend, Raye Harrington. "We've been waiting for you for a freaking hour and-" Here, Raye was cut off and Serena heard the distant, placating voice of their other friend, Amy Merquise. "I don't _care_ what her reason is, Ames! She has no right to make us wait for her! Is it our fault that she's such a ditz? I mean, _come on_!" Raye suddenly let out a small yelp and a new, bright voice spoke through the phone.

"Hey, Sere." Mina Aden chirped. "Listen babe, just come on over. I think Raye's going through her time of month again-" There was a loud protestation in the background. "-and Lita can only hold her back for so long."

Serena laughed. "I'm on my way."

"Alrighty then." Mina said brightly. "By the way, what'd you have today that was so important?"

Serena paused walking. A soft wind blew by and Serena found herself gazing at the endless blue sky. She watched a white dove hop on a branch of a nearby tree and slowly flutter into flight, soaring higher and smaller. She spoke into her phone,

"Hmm, nothing much."

"Okay, then. We'll see you soon, right?"

"Yeah." Serena smiled. "I'm on my way." It was a smile of sincerity only someone at peace with her own death could possibly make.

As Serena continued her way through the crowded streets, she punched in a new set of numbers. There were several rings before a groggy voice picked up the phone.

"Nggh…Whoos dis?"

"Hey Keith." She said brightly. The young man on the other end of the line grimaced at the happy tone.

"Jesus, Serena." He said grumpily. "What do you want?"

"Well, someone pulled another all-nighter." She teased. "Actually, I need to speak with your brother."

Keith Aduro sat up at his desk, feeling his muscles aching from looking over his brother's old law books. "Now what the hell would you need to talk to my brother about?"

"Well, it's none of your business but I need a professional opinion."

Keith's eyebrow went up a little. "Did you get arrested or something?"

"Of course not!" Serena said, indignant and exasperated.

"Then why the heck do you need a lawyer?"

"Oh shut up, Keith," Serena said. "And put Artemis on the line already. It's important."

"Oh yeah?" Keith challenged, even though he was already up and heading down the stairs to find his older brother, Artemis. "What's the emergency?"

Serena almost laughed at the retort that came to her mind. "Tell him, it's a life or death situation."

Keith rolled his eyes. "Whatever." Serena heard him holler for Artemis. A small thought struck her.

"Hey Keith!" She shouted to get his attention back to the phone.

"What?" He sounded irritated. Serena looked up and watched the white "walk" figure flash on the other side of the road.

"Are you still dating what's-her-face?"

"For your information, her name was Rhianne, and no, we're no longer together."

"My heart bleeds for you." Serena said dryly.

"Like hell, I'm sure." Keith retorted. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious." If Keith had seen the Cheshire grin on her face, he would've been a little more concerned. "Say hi to the rest of the guys for me, will you?" Assenting, Keith handed the phone to his brother at that precise moment.

"Serena? I'm glad you called." He stepped into his office, closing the door behind him for privacy. His voice became hushed. "How'd it go?"

Serena sighed, a sad smile on her face. "Let's just say, I won't have to make any plans for college after all."

Serena took her time going up the steps of the Cherry Hill Temple. Somehow, the thought of Raye's bantering wasn't enough to make her speed up. She approached the shrine at the top of the temple and bowed politely…when suddenly dozens of figures popped up out of nowhere, shouting:

"**SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SERENA!"**

In the party that was soon to follow Serena Tyler would laugh and smile with her friends. She would endure Raye's rave about how long it took the girls to invite everyone from school and put up the multitude of decorations on the temple. Serena would happily squeal over these decorations and marvel over the three tiered cake her friend, Lita Kingston had made. Mina would introduce her to three-fourths of the swimming team at school and throw aside a random book Amy would be reading at the sidelines.

Everyone would laugh and have a great time. Everyone would mistake the tears running down Serena's face as ones of joy. And everyone would believe Serena's lies when she said they were.

* * *

Darien Carson was not having a good day. He woke up late only to arrive to work at the station late, got bitched at by his boss, and, to top it all off, his freaking motorcycle got towed! And so, he was definitely not in the best of moods as he walked into the Crown Arcade. As luck would have it, his day wasn't over, as demonstrated when he bumped (hard) into someone, causing both of them to fall. Well, actually, it's wasn't really a 'bump.'

More like a 'collision.'

Lying on the floor on his stomach and propped up on his elbows, Darien felt every bit of pent up frustration and anger come pouring out of him like fireworks on the fourth of July, which was ironic since it actually was July.

"What the hell is wrong you? Are you blind or something?" The words left his mouth before he looked up. And when he did, he found himself the target of a tennis shoe.

"Speak for yourself you arrogant buttbreath." The voice that retorted at him was familiar…way too familiar. With a growl, he turned to face his attacker, who was none other than Serena Tyler.

"Figures." Darien muttered as he dragged himself up. "You are the only person who could make this day any worse."

"I doubt it." Serena shot back. "Keep praying though, dumbbell, maybe Mr. Doyle will show up and remember who dropped the bucket on his head at the spring fling."

Darien's eyes narrowed at that incident that caused the school's principal to have temporary amnesia. "Just so you know, Tyler," He seethed. "The fish-heads in that bucket were meant for you."

"Oooh." Serena mocked. "I'm really scared now."

"You ought to be, brat. Tell me, have the police figured out who the 'road sign bandits' are yet?" Serena fought the urge to smack the smirk off his face. He snorted. "Maybe I should go over and give them some inside information, you think?"

Serena suddenly grabbed him by the collar. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." Darien challenged, easily brushing off her hands.

Serena haughtily threw her head back. "Fine." She smiled evilly. "I guess those pictures of you and Keith at sleep-away camp will be able to make it out in public after all."

A glaring contest ensued between the two heated rivals. Of course, Serena and Darien had been so engrossed in insulting/threatening each other that they failed to notice a crowd in the Crown Arcade that was now looking at them very curiously. The proprietor, Andrew Furley, merely sighed and rolled his eyes at the exchange, as did some other customers of the Crown Arcade. Serena and Darien were known by many to have very public displays of hatred and the Crown Arcade was frequently the theater for their malice, especially since Andrew was (sadly) good friends with both of them. Andrew found himself counting how many years the two had been at each other's throats and was surprised to realize that it had been about five years since Darien moved to their town and started a long-lasting battle of the wits (and other things) with Serena before the beginning of her seventh grade year. Andrew was shaken from his thoughts when the voices of his friends suddenly got a lot louder. He was fully prepared to calm both of them down when a tall man in a business suit walked in, abruptly cutting in on the two's conversation about something referring to a camping trip.

"...and your butt deserved every bee sting it got! How long did it take before you could sit down again?" Serena was taunting before her eyes looked over Darien's shoulder at a very amused white-haired man. Darien opened his mouth to make a comment about the tar he had put in her hair when Serena completely walked around him. "Arty!"

Darien looked around and found himself looking at Artemis Aduro. The older brother of Darien's best friend smiled, holding back a laugh as a hand rested on Serena's shoulder. Darien quirked an eyebrow at the close contact. "Hey, Darien."

Glancing at Artemis, Darien smiled a bit. "Hi Artemis. Didn't expect to see you here." He gestured to the Crown Arcade, in which Artemis looked completely out of place in.

Artemis laughed. "True," He gestured to Serena. "But Serena here asked me to meet her so I had to come by."

"What?" Darien asked, a hint of wicked happiness in his voice. "Did someone figure out who hot-wired Officer Mallory's police car?"

Artemis looked back at the young man quizzically while Serena glared daggers at Darien's non-existent heart.

"Well, uh, no." Artemis said, his gaze looking back and forth between Darien and Serena. The understanding of Darien's innuendo soon came to his mind. He rolled his eyes.

"In any case," Serena gritted, tugging at Artemis' hand. "We've got business to talk about. See you later, Carson."

The ebony-haired man smirked at the contempt she said his name with. "I love you two, sweety." He called out to her as she told Andrew to send drinks to a table in the Arcade.

Serena glared at him over her shoulder as she continued to a drag a harassed-looking Artemis away. "Screw you!"

"Hah! You know you want me!"

"As much as the coming of the freakin' apocalypse!"

Andrew shook his head as Darien came to sit at the bar. "Darien, why do you have to keep on doing that to her?" He demanded tiredly. "She's a sweet girl."

Darien looked at him incredulously. "If by 'sweet' you mean 'the spawn of Satan,' yeah, sure she's 'sweet.'"

"I'm serious man." Andrew said. "Ease off her case."

"What?" Darien joked. "And ruin the perfect balance of good and evil we have managed to establish? By the way, I'm the good one."

"Could've fooled me." Andrew muttered.

* * *

"You really should learn to control your temper." Artemis said, smiling.

"Funny." Serena remarked, thanking Andrew for the drinks. "I usually say that to Raye." She mock-gasped. "Oh my God, I'm turning into a man-hating, hot-headed priestess!"

Artemis laughed with Serena at the reference to one of her dearest friends. The thought of Serena's friend reminded him of why he, a highly paid lawyer, was sitting at a teenage hangout.

"Serena…" Artemis' tone made her stop laughing and the expression on his face sobered her up quickly. She cleared her throat suddenly, forcing a smile.

"So, about business…" Artemis nodded.

"I've arranged all your affairs as you asked. The legal documents are in place." He paused, toying with the straw in his ridiculously happy-pink frothy drink. "I have to say, Serena, you're lucky you turned eighteen when you did. I doubt Trista would've taken the actions you're doing."

"Maybe." Serena conceded quietly. "But she loves me. And I know she would've gone with whatever I want." She made a small chuckle. "She knows better than to argue with a dying person."

Artemis' hands clenched involuntarily and he looked away. Serena stopped her joking and reached out to touch Artemis' arm. "Ah, I'm sorry, Arty." She said earnestly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Artemis forced a smile, patting her hand. "It's okay. I can't really expect much else from you, the way things are now."

Serena smiled, grateful that he understood. "Anyway, about why I called you here today..."

"Yes." He frowned. "You know, maybe it was the shock, but I think I was hearing things when you asked me to come here."

"Why's that?" Serena asked.

"Well, because of what you're asking me to do." Artemis said. "To be honest, Serena, perhaps you should say something to your friends, rather than go through your little…quest."

"It's not a quest, Artemis." Serena said bluntly. She sighed, leaning back in her chair of the booth. The bright ceiling tiles glared back down on her and she couldn't help the smile that found its way to her face. "It's a wish. One that I fully intend to make come true at all possible costs."

Artemis was silent for a moment. "…Don't you think they deserve to know?"

"It doesn't matter if they deserve to know." Serena said. "All that matters is that they aren't going to know. As of now, the only people who do know are you, me, and Dr. Maui. And as far as I'm concerned, it's going to stay that way."

The determination in her voice made Artemis smile. "So, Cupid." He leaned in conspiringly. "How's this going to work?"

"Tell me, Artemis." Serena said with a sly smile. "Just how manipulative do you think you are?"

_**

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Serenity and she was the princess of the moon, protected by strong guardians...**_

_Little Serena used to ask:_ **But who protected the guardians?**

_Big Serena believed she had found the solution...

* * *

_

**chickay**: Yes, I know I should be updating MAMC, but chapter 19 is going to be out soon anyway. But I've had this idea swimming in my head for a while now and I decided to post it after like months of having the opening on a saved document. Let me know what you guys think of it and if I should continue.

**9/16/05**

**edited: 10/03/05**

**edited: 10/05/05**

**edited (again): 10/16/05**

**edited (again): 6/19/07**

**edited (hopefully for the last time): 10/24/09  
**


	2. July: The Targets

**Cupid's Last**

**The Targets**

**July

* * *

**

Amy Merquise looked at the lab in front of her, amazed. The elder man at her side smiled.

"Astounding, isn't it?" Amy glanced at Dr. Watson and nodded happily.

"I can't believe that I'm even standing here." She walked into the lab of the Lunablanci hospital. The teenager couldn't believe her luck. Interning in one of the top labs in the nation! It was too much. Dr. Watson chuckled at her shock.

"Believe it, Miss Merquise." He said cheerily. "We've had about two hundred applicants and I must say that we were thoroughly impressed by your application in particular."

He watched the young woman as she marveled through the computers and meticulously-labeled containers holding medical supplies. Amy was in heaven. Well, not literally, but pretty damn close. This was just amazing. Dr. Watson pulled her attention away from the equipment and proceeded to point out the sets that Amy was to be working at. As he was demonstrating how to work one of the computers, the door of the lab opened and closed. Dr. Watson looked up with a smile.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Niveus." Amy probably wouldn't have turned away from the screen had she not heard the voice that called out,

"Hey, Doc." Struck by the casual greeting, she straightened up and turned around…and stopped breathing. A tall man stood by the entrance of the lab, standing taller than Lita probably was. Dressed in a black, long-sleeved shirt, he had a surprising tangle of reddish-gold hair that tumbled past his shoulders, some wavy strands having escaped his ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wore thinly-rimmed glasses that blinded Ami for a split second before her eyes refocused of the slender jaw of the prettiest guy she'd ever seen. He was in the process of putting on his lab coat when his green eyes seemed to hone in on hers and he, too, froze.

Dr. Watson's voice broke through her thoughts and she turned away from the stranger's gaze, no aware that she had been staring.

"…and this little lady right here will be helping us on our research." Dr. Watson was saying cheerfully, gesturing towards Amy. She glanced at her supervisor dumbly for a moment, realizing what he was saying and shook herself out of her reverie. Dr. Watson beamed at her, oblivious, and gently tugged her towards the newcomer. "Zeke, this is Amy Merquise."

Then younger man didn't say anything, choosing to only glance at Amy with silent interest. Amy found that she didn't particularly enjoy being stared at. Dr. Watson was going on. "And this young man, Amy, is Zeke Niveus."

Amy instinctively reached out a tentative hand in greeting. Zeke hadn't stopped looking at her with those ridiculously intense green eyes. After a moment of silence, he smirked. With small flourish, he shrugged on his still-half-on lab coat.

"Whatever." He said briefly, uncaring. His gaze was still on Amy's as he said directly to her, "Just make sure you do your work and I'll do mine." He then proceeded to completely walk right past Amy's outstretched hand of greeting. Amy looked at his retreating back as he walked to the other side of the lab room, mouth slightly open in indignation. How rude! She felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Dr. Watson with a very amused expression on his weathered face.

"Don't mind him, Miss Merquise." He said softly. "He's actually quite a brilliant young man. He just…takes time to get to know."

'_Maybe so._' Amy thought grimly. '_But he's still a jerk.'_

* * *

"Jesus." Lita muttered, looking at the car in front of her. "What the hell was this guy thinking?"

"'Let me take out my new, hundred something thousand dollar car and ram it to a wall?'" Ken Dupree snickered mockingly. Lita chortled at her co-worker's gibe. "'Hell, it doesn't matter if I lose this car. I've got enough money to get another one.'"

Lita's outright laughter rang through the garage and some of the guys lifted their heads from their work and shook their heads with smiles. Lita Kingston was the only person at Mikey's Garage who could fix up a car better than anyone in the tri-city area. Plus, there was that added fact that she was, you know, a chick. Lita sighed, eyeing the damage done to the obviously new car while Ken ticked off all the problems. The work wasn't impossible; she'd just need a good amount of time to fix up everything. At that moment, Lita leaned under the hood to take a closer look at the mangled engine while she heard footsteps approaching.

"Excuse me." A clear voice cut in.

Lita looked over her shoulder and saw Ken nodding to a…guy? Well, it looked like a girl from the back but it had a man's voice so it had to be a guy. Ken was nodding to him.

"I take it you're the owner?" Ken nodded towards the damaged car. The man sighed and nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "It's mine." He stretched out a hand to Ken. "Nevan Procella."

Lita watched the newcomer with an admiring glance. Cocking her head to one side, Lita estimated that perhaps he was a good two or three inches taller than her. His hair, surprisingly long that held an auburn-brown tinge in it as it cascaded freely past his shoulders. She guessed she must've been looking at him strangely because he turned to look at her as well, cold cobalt blue eyes looking back into her green ones. Lita would later wonder how long she would've stayed put, looking into his dark eyes had Ken not stepped in.

"Here, Lita." He said, handing her the clipboard. "I'm going to check if we have any of the parts he needs."

With that, Ken proceeded to rifle through a bunch of parts they had in the garage in a room behind Lita's workspace. Lita decided to busy herself with looking through the list of damages Ken had made for her, wincing as she did so. This wasn't going to be an easy job. She was doing that for about a minute when she heard this man, Procella was it, clear his throat. Not looking up at him, she said,

"Yes?"

"Uh, are you supposed to be here?" Lita looked up from the clipboard, eyebrow quirked.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She hadn't meant to ask the question in such a defensive manner but she saw from his reaction that he took it that way.

"Well," He began hesitatingly, sensing she was upset. "This is a garage."

"I can see that." Lita said sarcastically. "Thank you for pointing it out to me."

Somewhere in the background, someone in the garage chuckled, overhearing their conversation. Mr. Procella glanced around, frowning. Lita saw that he now realized he was being made fun of.

"I'm just saying that you probably shouldn't be here." He said slowly and deliberately.

"And why's that?" She crossed her arms over her chest, setting the clipboard down on a table.

"Well, for starters," This Nevan dude was completely stalling. Ken could barely hide his grin. Lita's exasperation and irritation was practically radiating off her body. "Something could fall and hit you or something."

"Uh-huh." Lita nodded slowly, as if talking to an idiotic teen. "A wrench could fall from the toolbox. Oh me, oh my." She rolled her eyes. "Call an ambulance for me."

"Cute, really." Nevan said dryly amidst the growing numbers of chuckles that could be heard from the other workers. "Anyways, if something did go wrong, what would you do?"

Lita frowned. "Excuse me?"

"Well," He scoffed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "What would _you_ know about fixing cars?"

For a garage, it got intensely quiet the second the words left his mouth. A sense of foreboding engulfed Nevan as he surveyed the area around him, taking in the chocked and appalled faces of the men and the rather malice-filled glare from the young woman in front of him. What'd he say?

"What'd I say?" He glanced over at Ken, who was looking very bemused at the scene. Ken laughed out loud, his laughter encouraging the pent-up guffaws of his co-workers.

"Mr. Procella," He said with a flair of exaggeration. "This is Lita Kingston." He swung an arm around Lita's shoulders. Grinning at the confused customer, he added. "She'll be hammering away at your car." He grinned wider. "You asked for the best mechanic and, well, she's it."

Lita shot the man an evil sneer. With the blatant insults he had thrown her way, Nevan wondered if his car was the only thing she intended hammering away on.

* * *

At the Cherry Hill Temple, Raye Harrington stared at her bare table. Confused, she left her room and called out for her grandfather.

"Grandpa?" She shouted out into the courtyard of the temple.

"Over here!" Came his deep wheezing reply.

She followed his voice until she came across him. He stood in the front of the Temple, clad in his traditional robes, humming merrily.

"Gramps, I had a foot-tall stack of applications this morning." Raye said, referring to the applications she had to sort through to find a new worker for the temple. The only problem was, however, that practically the entire stack consisted of Raye's many male admirers. Hacking them down to a manageable size was going to be a problem…that is, if she ever _found_ those papers.

Her robust grandfather looked at her with a huge smile on his face. "Oh yeah. I saw those papers a while ago." Raye couldn't help but smile back. Eighty-something years old and still kicking, her grandfather was a sight for sore eyes. "I burned them." Raye's smile dropped from her face like lightning.

"You what?" She demanded loudly. Her grandfather didn't seem phased at all. Then again, when a man of his age does as many dumb things as he normally did, he learns to ignore the ranting of his granddaughter. Raye was exasperated. She knew her grandfather could be flat-out weird sometimes, but this was just ridiculous. "Why on earth would you do that?"

"Because I've already found someone." The old man said jovially, oblivious to her exasperation. "And he didn't even apply!"

Raye stared dumfounded at her grandfather's supposed rationale for such and idiotic move. "Grandpa, you've got to be kidding me!"

"Of course not." He said happily, all smiles and chuckles. He looked over her shoulder and smiled even wider. "Ah, there he is now!"

Bracing herself for the worst, Raye turned around slowly. A tall blonde male was walking towards them. Or rather, he was trying to walk towards them. He seemed to be struggling with a mop, rake, broom, and buckets as he ambled towards them.

"Hey there, kid!" Raye's grandfather called out. "Come over here!"

"I'm trying." Came the gritted response. Raye raised an eyebrow is slight surprise. The man seemed to stumble and the items clattered to the floor. Raye heard her grandfather laughing somewhere in the background as she took in the sight of her grandfather's chosen new worker. He probably had about four inches on her height and he blew aside the sunny, blonde hair that came down irritatingly on his baby blue eyes. Eyes, Raye realized, that were looking at her grandfather in slight annoyance.

"Hey old man." He said. "It would've been nice if you could help me out a little."

"What?" Raye's grandfather asked in mock-astonishment. "Me? A feeble old foggy? Geez. Kids these days."

"Yeah, well do a fine job of yelling at people to work for a feeble old guy." He retorted.

"You talking back to your boss, young man?" Mr. Hino challenged.

Raye watched the exchange between the two men curiously. There wasn't any actual animosity between then but Raye did have to wonder: If they got along like this, then why did her grandfather hire this guy?

"Oh, excuse me." At that one particular moment, all three heads turned to see a group of teenage girls coming up to the temple. The July weather called for lots of heat and all the girls in the group sported either shorts or skirts to beat the weather. There was nothing particularly indecent about their clothing, but Raye felt like blushing when they passed by her grandfather and the new guy. She felt embarrassed by simply watching their reactions.

'_Oh God, could they be anymore obvious?_' Raye thought in irritation. Her grandfather, for all he was worth, still acted like a bawdy teenager rather than an old, but lovable, fart. Right now, the two males were huddled together, watching the teenage girls walk away in admiration. Raye must've been growling in annoyance because her grandfather turned to look at her, surprised like he had just realized she was there.

"Raye!" He tugged on the young man's arm and the motion jerked the boy to look away from the teenage girls' backsides. By now, Raye had crossed her arms over her chest, sandaled foot tapping in annoyance. Oblivious to her anger, her grandfather cheerily introduced the two to each other, "Raye, this is Jason Exuro. He's going to be our new handyman around here."

When Raye caught the surprised, albeit appreciative glance this Jason was giving her (body), she sent him a glare that would've frozen any man on the spot. Amidst her grandfather's random chattering in the background, Raye glared at the newcomer, her distaste in him carried by her look:

'_I don't like you already.'_

The smirk he returned sent an equal challenge:

'_You will_.'

* * *

"This is ridiculous." Mina Aden muttered. Her mother rolled her eyes at her daughter and gave her a final peck on the cheek as she finished loading her last suitcase.

"Darling, don't pout." She ordered casually.

"Seriously, mom." Mina insisted. "This is not cool."

"Forgive us, sweety." Her mother said sarcastically. "Your father and I have no idea what cool is."

"Of course you don't." Mina said, oblivious to the tone. "Which is why this is such a big mistake!"

"Mina," Her father began peacefully. "I don't see what's wrong with this situation. I thought you liked Keith."

Mina turned away abruptly from her father when she felt her cheeks grow pink.

"O-Of course I do." She said with mock indignation, hoping against hope they hadn't seen. "It's just that I don't need him to babysit me!"

"Mina, you're just five years apart." Mina's mother said. "It hardly counts as babysitting."

"For one thing, we're four years apart." Mina was quick to point out. "And, for another, what's so wrong with me just staying here by myself?"

Mr. and Mrs. Aden looked at each other with a sigh.

"Mina, for the last time," Her father said. "We're going away for a while now. This business meeting could take a while and your mother and I would feel a lot safer if you were at the house with someone we trust."

"Well, then what's wrong with me going to the other girls' houses?" Mina challenged. She really didn't want to be stuck with Keith Aduro for a week, maybe two, for reasons she really didn't want to tell her parents. Mina wasn't sure she could trust herself.

"Honey, you know it would be rude for you to intrude on your friends' parents." Mina's mother reminded her. With a soft smile, she kissed her daughter's cheeks warmly. "Plus, you and Keith are so close it's like having a son around…without having to deal with the puberty issues." She added as an afterthought.

Mina grimaced. "Ew, mom." Her parents laughed lightly and her father opened the door. A tall man stood on the other side, his own bags at his feet. Watching the platinum blonde hair and crystal blue eyes, Mina felt her heart drum loudly in her chest.

"Keith!" Mina's mother hugged him. "Thank you so much for helping us out."

"Yes," Mr. Aden added. "We really appreciate you looking out for Mina and the house for us."

Keith Aduro smiled at the couple he had come to think of as surrogate parents. "No problem at all, sir."

"Well, we'd better be going." Mrs. Aden walked over to Mina and kissed her one more time. "Be good, darling." She said. Whispering, she added. "Be good. Don't give Keith too much trouble okay?" She winked at her daughter conspiringly.

"Right!" Mr. Aden picked up the bags for him and his wife and waved at the kids before he got in the car. "Don't do anything too crazy, okay?" He joked at them before he got in the car.

Mina merely waved at them and watched them turn the corner.

"Well, then." Mina felt herself being lifted up as Keith swung her over his shoulder. "What'll we do now?"

"Keith, you blockhead!" Mina pounded on his back until he put her down, laughing. He quickly put her into a headlock.

"Geez, you're not being fun today." He teased. "Is it that time of month?"

That little comment earned him a good kick in the shins. Mina looked at the man in front of her, slightly out of breath of their little tussle.

"Keith," She heaved. "One of these days, you're gonna have to grow up."

"And leave baby Mina behind?" He said incredulously. He laughed at his own joke, not really noticing how Mina's own laughter was forced. With a sigh, he pulled himself up and took up his bags. "I guess I'm in the guest bedroom, right?"

"No, you butthead." Mina rolled her eyes with sarcasm. "You're sleeping outside."

"Aww…can't I sleep with you?"

"…"

"Man! What'd I do to you today?" Keith hollered in playfulness and pain, clutching his knee where Mina had kicked him. He was just joking, after all. Mina rolled her eyes once more, trying to push out the little thoughts swimming in her head where they weren't supposed to be.

_

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Serenity and she was the princess of the moon, protected by strong guardians..._

Serena looked at all of her friends helplessly.

_One day, a war broke out... _

"…thinks he's a knight in shining armor when he's nothing but a completely chauvinistic windbag…"

"…arrogant jerk…checks me out every time he thinks I'm not looking…"

"…the nerve of him! I was just trying to be nice and he goes off and…"

"He still thinks I'm like seven! I don't think he's realized a decade's gone by…"

"…so rude…looking down on me like he knows so much more than…"

"'What would you know about fixing cars?' Oh, I'll show him what I know…"

"…introduces me to everyone as his 'little sister!' Can you believe…?"

"…I know how to give his car a pink paint job, that's what I know!"

"…hitting on everything with two legs and a vagina…"

And so, as the hollers of indignation and hurt echoed through the girls' weekly get-together, Serena Tyler realized something:

**She needed help.**

"…jerk…"

"…pervert…"

"…prick…"

"…butthead."

**She **_**really**_** needed help.**

**

* * *

chickay**: Not much to work on but I want to let everyone know that I did add something extra to Chapter 1…like the entire second half of it. So read and enjoy! Oh, and **review**. That's good too. Let me know how I'm doing so far. Once again, **go back to Chapter 1 if you skipped straight to Chapter 2. There's goodfun and info in the second half.**

**10/03/05**

**edited: 6/19/07**

**edited: 10/24/09  
**


	3. August: Dealing with the Devil

**Cupid's Last**

**Dealing with the Devil**

**August

* * *

**

…_**One day, a war broke out and the Princess' guardians left her so that they could fight…

* * *

**_

"Darien! Darien!" Darien Carson smiled as he greeted a small, pink-haired girl that launched herself into his reaching arms. Rini smiled at him. "Darien, what did you bring me this time?"

Darien couldn't wipe the smile off his own face. Other children in the room saw him enter and ran to him, calling out his name with glee.

"Darien! Come see my new score…"

"...look at what I made!"

"Darien, pick me up!"

Darien happily obliged the children. Knowing them for as long as he had, he was the closest thing to a parent any of them would probably come to know. After all, St. Jude's Orphanage, located on the less outskirts of the city of Lunablanci, was the unspoken (yet generally accepted) center for children destined to live out their childhoods as wards of the state.

Darien Carson used to be one of them. Having managed to survive a devastating crash that left him with no parents or even an identity, he was moved to St. Jude's Orphanage. However, as fate would have it, Darien was lucky enough to be discovered by a long-lost cousin of his mother's who, after providing genetic proof, adopted young Darien and moved him to the town of Crystallus, a good distance from the orphanage. And yet, Darien returned, week after week to volunteer to play with the children who lived there now.

"Darien." The young man turned and faced Cathy Quadri. An orphan too, Cathy and her three sisters had taken over the orphanage after, like Darien, growing up within it as well. Cathy's oldest sister, Prue, was the head of the orphanage while the middle sisters Ava and Billie handled financial and legal affairs. Five years Darien's senior, Cathy was a pretty sweet girl who shared a passion for caring for the children that came under her wing.

Currently, she smiled at Darien, gesturing him to follow her. Darien put down Rini, who pouted until he patted her head, and fell into step with Cathy as she headed down a hallway.

"New arrival." Cathy said, handing him a file folder. Darien nodded wordlessly, opening the file as Cathy talked, abruptly stopping when he saw the picture of the orphan. "What the hell?"

Cathy nodded grimly, expecting the reaction from her friend. "Her name is Hotaru Tompkins." Her lip curled into a snarl as Darien flipped through the papers in front him until he arrived at a document that had a collection of pictures of the girl in various angles. Burns and bruises covered the pale body of Hotaru Tompkins. As Darien stared in wonderment at the pictures, he heard Cathy's voice speaking, "Her father wasn't very stable. He was a chemist, liked to conduct experiments in their basement. Hotaru's mother died in an explosion caused by one of his experiments when Hotaru was four. She's become quite reclusive since then." The youngest Quadri daughter couldn't help the bitterness the oozed into her voice as she recounted Hotaru's history. "Her father didn't always think so clearly so Hotaru ended up on the wrong end of his temper more often than not, as you can see. However, he got caught in the explosion of his own experiment last month. Hotaru has been put into our care."

They had stopped outside of a room now. Through the top half of the clear door, Darien saw the pale girl. Sitting at a desk, Hotaru stared at the space in front of her, violet eyes glazed over. Her face had been left unscathed, but she had covered the rest of her scarred body in black, making a stark contrast with the pale, alabaster of her skin. Darien looked at her, eyes hard, rubbing his hand against his mouth, thoughtful. He couldn't remember a time he had parents, but from what his aunt had told him, he had concluded that they were damn decent people. Why or how parents could treat their children like Hotaru had been treated frustrated and infuriated Darien to no end.

"What do you want me to do?" Cathy smiled at him knowingly.

"As if you had to ask." Since Darien had frequented in the same place he had grown up in, he was able to relate to many of the orphans there, making him popular with the children because they trusted him. Obviously, Cathy felt the same. She smiled at him before touching his arm encouragingly. "Good luck."

_**

* * *

But when they didn't return…**_

* * *

Darien watched Hotaru sit away from the other children of the orphanage. He sighed. Two hours with the girl and he couldn't break through. She didn't speak to him. According to Cathy, she hadn't spoken to anyone since she had arrived. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Don't you make a pretty picture?" The teasing voice made him turn his head to the entrance.

* * *

…_**the Princess enlisted the help of a Devil to help her.**_

* * *

Serena smiled with satisfaction as she watched Darien's jaw drop in surprise.

"What the hell?" He demanded, more irritated than angry. "Is there any place I go to where you can't haunt me?"

"Watch your language, Carson." Serena said dryly, motioning to the group of children close by. "And for your information, you ought to be grateful that you are even given the opportunity to be blessed by my presence."

"It's more like a curse if you ask me." Darien retorted. Serena narrowed her eyes at him.

"Well I'm not asking you, am I?" And so, a glaring contest ensued. Serena broke the contact by rolling her eyes. "Listen here, Carson. I don't have time for this."

'_Literally_,' she thought.

Darien frowned at her. "Then leave." He ordered. "I'm not stopping you."

"Actually, you butthead," Serena said. "I came here to talk to you."

"What?" Darien looked at her, confused. Gradually, he began to remember that Serena lived in the inner-city area of Lunablanci, like he did now. He also remembered that Serena didn't have a car as of yet. So what was she doing out here? Darien glanced at her as she absently fanned herself. He realized that she must have taken the bus to get here. "But what are you doing here?"

Serena gave him a dry look. "I'm here to make you a proposition."

"What? You can't laid any way else?"

* * *

Darien glared at Serena through his good eye, pressing ice to the other eye that Serena had aimed at after his comment.

"I feel bad for your children." He muttered.

"Don't." Serena said, making as though she was looking inside her purse to avoid letting Darien see the pain that etched in her face. Two months had passed since she found out. It would be hard to give birth to a child who would only lose its mother in a short time anyway. "Look, you bum." She said, addressing him. "I didn't come out all this way just to be annoyed by you."

"I figured." Darien said. "So what? You couldn't have waited for me to get back into town and hassle me then?"

"Last time I checked you were the one giving me a hard time since your butt moved there."

Darien glared. "Look, Meatball-head," Serena flushed with anger and a hand when to touch her hairstyle buns protectively. "You said something about a proposition so tell it to me so I can turn you down." Serena growled as she launched a toy block with the letter 'A' on it at his head and Darien missed it by an inch. "Watch it you brat." Darien muttered. "These are for the kids, not for whiny little teenage girls."

"Keep it up and I'll throw B, C, and D at you too." Serena retorted, holding up the hard blocks bearing the said letters menacingly. Darien rolled his eyes.

"Start talking Tyler." He said seriously, gesturing back to the children in the next room, closed off by a room that prevented the children from having to listen to Darien and Serena's arguments. "I've got work to do and piggy-back rides to give."

Darien was surprised by the genuine smile that came to Serena's face. "Fine loser." She sighed, bracing herself: "I need help."

"That's for sure." Darien muttered. He gave a small yelp as the block with the letter 'B' whizzed over his head. Serena glared at him.

"As I was saying…" She gritted out. "I need your help. But I can't have you going back on me once I tell it to you, which is why you have to say 'yes' now or forever never find out what I'm up to."

Darien raised one eyebrow. "That sounded more like a demand than a request, Tyler."

"Like I give a damn what you think Carson." Serena said easily. "I'll admit, I could really use your help on this project of mine but I can always find ways around my obstacles."

Darien snickered. "What the hell? You sound like it's a dying mission or something."

Serena didn't laugh, only closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Yes or no, Carson." She pressed. "You're not the only one with a life."

Darien considered this as he sat back in his chair. He had known Serena for a while now through their bickering and mutual friends. He also knew that Serena's 'projects' usually involved an interesting amount of risk in them and, this time around, her biggest risk was coming to Darien for help. She seemed almost desperate for his help. Was her project that unsuccessful?

Serena watched the curiosity in his eyes grow more by the second. Finally, he put aside the icepack from his face and set it down on the table in front of them. They had moved into the small room that Darien had used to try to speak to Hotaru in.

"Alright, Meatball head." He said with a smirk. "I'll bite. _However_," He added quickly, stopping the smile on her face from getting too wide.

* * *

…_**The sweet Princess then decided to make a deal with the Devil…**_

* * *

"I'm going to need something in return. My services don't come cheap you know."

"Spoken like a true man-whore." Darien glared as Serena giggled at her joke. Once finished, she sighed. "Name your price lunk-head and let's see how it goes from there."

Darien grinned with a devilish flare that made Serena want to take back her words. "Actually, I was thinking along the lines of personal servitude."

Serena blanched. "And you suggested that I couldn't get laid?"

"Oh don't kid yourself." Darien scoffed. "I like my women with some shape," He nodded at her petite frame hidden under the huge shirt she had pulled on that morning. "Not to mention I like 'em, you know, pretty."

Serena smiled triumphantly as the letter block 'C' hit him on the forehead. As he rubbed his forehead gently with his finger, she said, "Like I said Carson, I have other means of getting help."

"Dammit woman." He snarled. "It was a joke."

"Well my project isn't." Serena said. "So name your terms now or I walk."

"How tempting." Darien mocked. He shook his head in denial. "God, you're such a brat. Lord knows how you'll end up in a couple of years. Can't wait to see that." He was too into his own sarcasm to notice the subtle flinches in her expression. "Look, I was actually thinking that you could do something for me when the time comes that I'll need you for something."

"You make me sound like a tool." She muttered. She propped her chin on one hand. "So how's this going to work?"

"It's easy." Darien said dismissively. "One day, tomorrow or next year or maybe in ten years, I'm going to tell you to do something and you will do this without asking."

Serena grimaced lightly. "Nothing abhorrently nasty, right?"

"Weren't you listening?" Darien teased evilly. "Tyler, I find you as attractive as this table."

"Deal." Serena smiled as she watched Darien rub away the blood from his nose, where she had launched block 'D' at his insult.

* * *

"You want to _what_?" Darien stared at Serena in disbelief. "Tyler, I knew you were crazy, but this is just dumb."

"Just because I'm out of blocks to throw at you doesn't mean I won't use anything else in this room as my weapon." Serena threatened, dangling a baby doll from her hand. "And, for your information, my plan is not dumb."

"You want to set up my friends and your friends," Darien summarized her plans dryly. "Who, by the way, all happen to hate each other."

"The girls don't _like_ the guys. I don't know how the guy's feel." Serena waved off the details with a hand. "It's a minor issue."

"That made you come to me for help?" Darien retorted. Serena rolled her eyes.

"Look, Carson, you said 'yes' to the agreement so, either way, you have to help me out regardless." Serena said plainly. "As for my couples, don't mock them. I have my reasons."

"Well, whatever they are, they haven't really done much good, have they?"

"Which is where you come in." Darien raised an eyebrow at the evil grin now on Serena's face. She leaned forward on the table. "I've got two sets of my people out there: the girls and the guys. As it is, I can deal with the girls firsthand because I see them practically everyday. The guys however…"

"…Would rather submit to torture by waxing before talking to you about their love lives." Darien finished, understanding her plans.

"Yes!" Serena said cheerfully. "And because of male-stubbornness, I don't know if they really share the girls' feelings. So, since I can't get into their heads…"

"You want me to spy on my friends." Darien concluded with an incredulous laugh, partly in disbelief, the other part in amusement.

"You say 'spy' like it's a bad thing." Serena teased lightly. "Think of it as…_reconnaissance_."

* * *

"'Think of it as reconnaissance' my ass." Darien muttered as he sat at his apartment at a nightly get-together with his friends.

"Talking to yourself again?" Darien gave Jason Exuro a half-hearted glare as his buddy plopped down on the couch. "Geez, man. Are you _that _lonely?"

"As if you're one to talk." Darien shot back. He looked at the other guys in the room. "Where the hell is Nevan?"

Keith Aduro shrugged his shoulders from the window he had been looking out of in Darien's apartment. "Hell if I know."

"Maybe he got held up in traffic." Zeke Niveus suggested lightly, not looking up from the data in his hands.

"Dude," Jason eyed Zeke's paperwork in disgust. "Do you have to bring all that with you everywhere you go?" He ignored Zeke's protests as he snatched one of the papers out of his hands. "Weird charts, big words, lotsa numbers…" Jason ticked off the items before throwing it back to Zeke. "Zeke, I love you in all my manly manner but you need to get out."

"Thanks but I'll pass." Zeke said dryly. "There's just so much work to do at the lab that I don't know if I'm ever going to get any of it done."

Darien cleared his throat, seeing an opening for his 'reconnaissance.' "But, don't you, uh, have anyone else at the lab to help you out?"

"Well, there's Dr. Watson but he's got other things to look after." Zeke replied. Darien waited but no mention of Ami Merquise came up. That is…

"Wait a sec." Jason interjected. "I could've sworn I saw a girl come out of your lab when I was waiting for you."

Keith chuckled into his drink. "A girl? No wonder Zeke wouldn't mention her."

"Ha ha." Zeke said sarcastically. "For your information, the girl you're talking about is more of a hindrance than an actual asset at the lab."

"Ohh," Jason winced.

"Yeah, Zeke." Darien frowned. "That's kinda harsh don't you think?"

"As if." Zeke scoffed. "She's still in high school for the love of God."

"Hey man." Jason said. "High school was my best years."

"Especially since you weren't there half the time to really '_be_' in school." Keith reminded him.

"So, what's up with the girl?" Darien pressed. "Is she just dense?"

"Surprisingly, no." Zeke snorted.

"Then what's the problem?" Jason asked, truly confused (more so than usual).

Zeke shrugged. "She's just a kid. She's going to be in and out of that lab in no time."

"Well, if she's in high school, she can't be more than three or four years younger than you." Keith pointed out.

"And maybe she's just as dedicated as you are." Darien suggested hopefully.

"Doubt it." Zeke said resolutely. "I don't see any point in being courteous to someone who doesn't care for the research being done at the lab." He frowned. "I don't even know how she managed to get in."

'_I do._' Darien thought darkly. At that point, the door of his apartment swung open, letting in a harried-looking Nevan Procella.

"Hey dude!" Jason called out cheerily but stopped short when he saw Nevan's expression.

"Damned woman." He was muttering. "I swear to God she's out to kill me."

"Damn." Jason whistled. "What's up with you?"

"He pulled another demeaning female comment from his ass." Zeke said dryly with a smirk. "And consequently managed to piss off the woman who was working on his car."

Keith gave a short burst of laughter. "Good job, you idiot." He cheered mockingly.

"Shut up." Nevan said as he reached for a drink out of Darien's fridge. "How was I supposed to know she was working there?"

"Didn't my brother tell you her name?" Keith asked.

"No." Nevan answered darkly. "Artemis told me to ask for Kingston. How was I supposed to know she was a chick?"

"It would've helped to ask." Darien suggested.

"Thanks buddy." Nevan returned. "I could've used that advice a while ago. Now, thanks to that damned harpy I had to get a cab to get here."

"Like you can't afford it." Jason put in. "At least you still own a car...and a source of income."

The guys glanced sympathetically at Jason, who laughed off his own comment. The past few months hadn't exactly been easy on their friend.

"Well, haven't you gotten a job?" Zeke asked him.

Jason laughed. "Yeah. You guys should stop by the temple one of these days. My boss is hilarious!"

"That's that little old man that runs around the temple, right?" Keith asked.

"Oh yeah." Jason said enthusiastically. "He's pretty fit for an old guy. His granddaughter isn't half bad either." He added as an afterthought with a goofy grin.

The guys groaned simultaneously.

"Hey!" He protested. "Don't mock this one."

"What?" Zeke scoffed, actually putting his papers down to eye his friend. "Are you telling us that this is for real?"

Jason's goofy grin put the apparently-previous-playboy's friends on a slight edge. Darien leaned forward, interested.

"Tell us, Jase." He said challengingly. "Can you remember anything about besides her bra size?"

Jason didn't hesitate. "Her name's Raye. Her eyes look really dark but, if you look closely, they're actually violet. She's got an amazing voice. I hear her singing sometimes. She's an archer." He paused dreamily and his friends exchanged glances of amusement and surprise. Jason suddenly grinned. "And I'm sure she's at least a B cup."

The guys groaned and threw random objects at their friend, slightly relieved that Jason wasn't completely serious about the girl. Darien however, thanked God that at least one the couples weren't completely hopeless. At that point, Keith's cell phone started ringing. The group got quiet enough to listen in on Keith's conversation.

"Hello? What? I can't hear you. You're _where_?" The guys flinched as he raised his voice to the other person on the line. "What the hell are you doing there? Forget it. I'm coming to pick you up now. What? _No!_ _You may not ride with a random stranger you just met_. Mina, I'm serious. I'm coming now." Silence followed this comment as Keith listened intently into the phone. His shoulders began to relax. "Are you sure? Fine, then. But I'm going to call back in half an hour, okay?"

"Practicing to be a dad anytime soon?" Nevan eyed Keith curiously as the latter closed his phone.

"Feels like it." Keith said shortly. He gestured to his phone. "That was Mina. She's apparently decided to go to a concert tonight."

"Well, isn't she old enough to go out on her own?" Darien asked carefully.

"No!" Keith protested. "Of course not."

"You sound like a dad." Zeke commented.

"I am _not_ a dad." Keith said, exasperated. "It's just it would've been nice if she told me where she was going before I left the house earlier. I could've dropped her off or something."

"You're too protective of her." Jason said lightly. "Mina's going to graduate soon. I'm sure she can handle herself."

Keith quirked an eyebrow at him. "No she isn't."

Darien had to hold himself back from shaking his friend. "Keith, Mina's going to be a senior come next month. Then it'll be another nine months before she graduates."

Keith opened his mouth to protest but stopped short, doing calculations in his head. The other guys looked on in amusement as their friend finally realized, "When the hell did _that_ happen?"

* * *

"This is hopeless."

"Shut up." Serena ordered. She was on the phone with Darien and he had just recounted the conversation he had with his friends earlier. "It's not_ that_ bad."

"'Not that bad?' " Darien rolled over onto his back on his couch. "Tyler, Lita and Nevan can't stand each other, Keith is clueless to Mina even being a female, let alone an adult, Jason actually likes Raye but he's more likely to tick her off than to impress her, and Zeke thinks Amy is a flake with weird hair."

"What?" Serena said indignantly. "As if. The girls' hairs are fine. At least they're _supposed_ to grow out their hair.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Carson, three-fourths of your friends have hair longer than mine was in the fourth grade. Don't you ever wonder about that?"

"More often than you would think." Darien said dryly. Serena laughed lightly and Darien found himself surprisingly smiling. He sighed.

"So now what?"

"Now that we have the sides, we need to level the playing field."

"Say what?"

"Damage control." Serena said briefly. "From best to worst cases, what're they?"

Darien paused, thinking. "Keith and Mina have the best shot as it is. They can get along with each other."

"Agreed." Serena said, nodding to herself. "In second place I'd have to say Jason and Raye, simply because Jason hasn't shown this much interest in a female past her legs since he hit puberty."

"Definitely." Darien laughed. He was surprised how easy it was to joke with Serena. He was in slight awe that he and Serena managed to share so much in the past years. "Zeke and Amy come in at third place. At least Raye seems to loathe Jason. Amy and Zeke just don't care."

"The opposite of love isn't hate but indifference." Serena consented then groaned. "Although, the way Nevan and Lita are going…"

"They're likely to kill each other before they even so much agree that the other person's even human." Darien finished.

"Dandy." Serena said sarcastically. "Okay Carson, here's the plan. We can work on Mina and Keith and Raye and Jason as of now. At least there's some form of affection aimed at someone else in there. Lita wants to make Nevan suffer so she's keeping his car for an extended time period and Zeke will just have to tolerate Amy for the meantime since they basically have no choice but to work together."

"Goody." Darien smirked at the challenge that lay ahead. "Look, I have to head out now. I've got a date with someone."

"Alright Carson. Project 'Dull Arrows, Thick Skulls' is underway."

* * *

Luna Maui was a professional. She had seen many devastating cases before and equally devastated patients. She had handled everything dealing with her profession with finesse and objectivity. Never in her years had allowed any of the painful issues of her patients truly get under her skin.

Until now.

The vision of Serena Tyler waving good-bye to her as the elevator panels closed in front of their faces had remained etched in Luna's mind since that fateful day two months ago when the girl had come into her office. Luna shook her head, scolding herself for getting too involved with her patient's life. But yet…

When Serena had smiled brightly at the doctor after hearing that she had about a year to live in her present condition, Luna believed that either the girl was in shock or in denial.

"_I'm dying right?"_

It hadn't really been a question. There was no delirious hope behind Serena's voice when she said that to Luna. Rather, she just said it to clarify the situation for Luna. If anything, the girl seemed like she was in a rush, like she was late for something and Luna's insistence for further testing and initial treatment was only holding her back.

Luna sighed. Unconsciously, she had pulled out Serena Tyler's file and had opened it up in front of her face. Her diagnosis was listed along with a note in her controlled handwriting: 'Refused treatment.' Luna's lips twisted into a grimace. Why couldn't she get that child out of her mind? Why? She threw down her pen, too frustrated to continue her medical journal.

"Hey," A voice called her. "You look tired."

Luna chuckled, recognizing the young man as he entered her office, closing the door behind him. Luna discreetly closed Serena Tyler's file and smiled at him as he gave his mother's cousin a kiss her on the cheek.

"Hello Darien."

Darien smiled at the woman who had adopted him. With an exaggerated gesture, he pointed to the door. "Ready for our date?"

Luna laughed and reached for her purse as Darien eyed the folders on her desk. Luna saw him looking and pulled the papers away before he could see anything, wagging a motherly finger at him. "Now now Darien. If you're planning to be a doctor you should know all about doctor-patient confidentiality."

Darien smiled. "Don't sweat it Luna." He said as she looped her arm through his. "Plus, which of your patients could I possibly know?"

**

* * *

chickay:** whee! another chapter! a team-up and a revelation. don't you all just love these happy twists? I introduced a couple more characters in here so lord knows how I'm going to work everyone into the plot but I'm sure I'll find some way to figure it all out. don't worry. drama between the girls and guys really starts next chapter.

I'm very happy with the reviews I'm getting for this fic, especially when everyone tells me what they like to see. it's interesting to see how everyone has so many different ideas how the characters are going to come together (if at all). keep reviewing! it does a body good.

**posted: 10/16/05**

**edited: 6/19/07 **

**edited:10/24/09**


	4. September I: A Cheesy Treaty

**Cupid's Last**

**A Cheesy Treaty**

**September.I

* * *

**

Nevan Procella was afraid of very few things.

_Clank. Clank._

He had stared down many clients and rivals in the corporate world and endured business threats that would make soldiers soil their pants.

_Clank. Clank. _

But never before in his short twenty-two years had he ever encountered a sight that made him want to call his mother as the picture of the young woman banging around the inside of the engine of his wrecked car.

This was saying a lot since he normally avoided his mother.

"Are you just gonna stand there looking like an idiot all day?" Nevan snapped out of his paranoid state just as Lita Kingston looked up from his car's engine. Forest-green eyes that burned for his painful demise were accompanied by a twitching snarl. In one hand, she lifted a wrench, almost poised to throw at the man who stood a few feet next to her. "Listen, dumbass, you keep staring at me like that and you can forget me working on this piece of junk you call a car."

Nevan bared his teeth, growling. "It's not my fault that _you,_ of all the frickin' people in this damn garage, would be working on my car!"

"No one said you had to stick around." Lita retorted as she wiped away a streak of sweat on her face, never breaking her glare with the man. "Feel free to take off anytime you want." She smirked evilly. "You look like you're baking in that sack of yours."

Nevan glanced down at his expensive three-piece suit indignantly before giving the young woman by his car the most evil glower he could muster. "For your information, my meeting today was canceled."

"And you decided to immediately check on your car?" Lita finished dryly. "You know, if you cared for your car as much as you're acting now, I'm surprised this scrap-pile's even standing."

"For your information, _little girl_," Nevan gritted, ignoring Lita's insulted cry at the last two words. "I wasn't even _driving_ this car when it crashed!"

"Oh poor you." Lita said in mock tearfulness. "Save the excuses for your boss."

"I _am_ my boss." Nevan said, frustrated.

Ken and the other workers listened on amusedly, pulling themselves out of their work. Since Nevan had dropped off his totaled car at the garage over a month ago, he had been coming back day after day to check up on its progress. However, the male percentage of Mikey's Garage (99.9999 %) believed that Mr. Procella was more concerned with Lita's temper and her capability to demolish his 'baby.'

"…ever heard of the saying 'a watched pot never boils?'" Lita was currently taunting her client with.

"I'd rather be safe than sorry." Nevan shot back. Lita scoffed at his innuendo.

"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" She demanded hotly.

"It means that my paranoia is perfectly justified." Nevan declared arrogantly.

"Ugh. Don't think so highly of yourself." Lita gagged in disgust. "No wonder you car's like this: anything would collapse on itself if it had to hold up your _big, fat head_!"

Lita gained a wonderful sense of satisfaction at seeing the man's face flare up. Some, reasonable, logical part in her brain argued that it wasn't doing her any good to piss off a client. However, Lita was doing a wonderful time ignoring that little part in her brain for the past month. This guy was seriously pissing the living crap out of her…and she let him know it too.

"Look, _sir_," She said, placing heavy emphasis on the title. "If I'm aggravating you as much as you say, feel free to drag your little junk bucket out of here and-"

"As I've told you a million times before," Nevan gritted out. "Despite how irritating your presence is to deal with, you're the only human being in this state that's supposed to be able to fix up my car in half the time that everyone else has estimated for me."

"In that case," Lita grinned evilly. "Don't you think you ought to be a bit nicer to the chick who's working on your property?"

"Lady, be grateful I haven't filed to sue you just yet." Nevan hardly resorted to threats outside of a board room but for this harpy, he'd make an exception. "The more I see you the more lawsuits that I can think of to slap you with."

"Oh, buddy," Lita snarled. "You wouldn't dare slap me with anything. I don't think you've got any manliness in you to endure what I could do to you on the rebound."

"Is that a threat, Miss Kingston?" Nevan narrowed his eyes as he stared down the girl. Lita smirked defiantly.

"Oh no," Lita said sweetly. Her demeanor suddenly changed as her eyes gained a dangerous glint to them. "It's a promise."

Thus, with a flip of her chestnut ponytail, Lita set back to work on the car. She knew it was rather contradictory to what she had just been previously arguing with Nevan, but her dedication to her work was a lot stronger than her growing discontent for the man. She pointedly ignored whatever shocked expression that took over his face or whatever angry mumbling he began to rant. So, when she heard his footsteps fading, she breathed a small sigh of relief. Against her own pride, she lifted her head to follow his dark figure as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket.

Lita rolled her eyes with a whimsical smirk. "If he wasn't such a jackass, he'd be pretty hot."

"I agree." Lita banged her head unceremoniously on the hood as she suddenly jerked her head up at the comment. Serena failed to bite back her laughter and Lita groaned as she rubbed the back of her head furiously, trying to dull the immense pain that just shot through her head. The small blonde was still laughing at her friend's expense when Lita managed to clear the dots from her vision.

"Sere?"

"Hey, Lita." Serena greeted her happily, engulfing her friend with a hug regardless of the state of array and oil Lita was currently in. "How ya doin'?"

"Pretty good." Lita said between unexplainable laughter. Serena always managed to have that affect on her. "Serena, what are you doing here?"

Serena continued her smiling as she held up a bag of…

"Two chicken quesadilla meals complete with a taco for each meal a la Taco Bell." Serena presented happily. "I was in the neighborhood and decided to pop by and seeing as it's lunchtime, I figured you might be hungry."

Lita laughed out loud. "Serena, this is so sweet of you." She smirked. "Especially since _I'm_ the one who usually feeds _you_."

"I know I know." Serena said. "I might as well return the multiple favors with this one act of kindness." She bit her lip somewhat hesitantly. "Speaking of kindness, don't you think you should be showing your client some of that?"

"The man doesn't need kindness." Lita snorted. "He needs a pin to help deflate that egotistical balloon he calls a head."

Serena laughed forcefully, hoping that Lita didn't notice how her smile was tightened at the mention of Nevan.

"Oh c'mon, Lita." Serena chided. "He didn't seem _that_ bad."

"I don't know how long you were standing there Serena, but that man is an ass."

"He sure has a very nice ass." Serena lightly commented. Lita huffed but she couldn't hide the blush from Serena that gave away the fact that Lita thought so too. "You definitely can't deny that about him."

"Maybe." Lita agreed grudgingly. "But that doesn't mean he isn't a jerk."

"Hey, now." Serena said soothingly. "Give the guy a chance. I'm sure he's not as horrible as you make him out to be." Serena pushed. "You guys just started on the wrong foot, that's all."

"Just like you and Darien did?" Lita asked teasingly. Serena gasped indignantly.

"As if." Serena muttered. "Carson and I are sworn enemies from a previous lifetime. You and Nevan are the different story."

"I'm sure." Lita laughed then suddenly stopped. "Hey, how'd you know his name?"

Serena's eyes and mouth rounded to perfect little o's as she suddenly realized her slip.

'_Shit!'_ Her mind raced as Lita looked at her friend inquiringly. However, on cue and on time they heard a beeping noise. To her relief, Serena realized that it was her phone ringing.

"Oh wow, excuse me!" Serena said with such over enthusiasm that Lita had to quirk her eyebrow. Serena was usually very happy but never this strange. Taking a few steps away from her friend, she spoke hastily into her phone.

"Eros?"

"What? No, Tyler. It's me."

"Dammit, Carson, if you're gonna help me out with this, you better use the codenames."

"What? No!"

"Just use the freaking codenames, you idiot. What if someone hears us using our real names?"

"Tyler you've got to be fucking with me."

"**Do it you punk**!"

"**Fine**." There was a great deal of grumbling on the other end before Serena's partner in matchmaking growled in monotony, "Eros to Cupid."

She smiled satisfactorily. "Cupid here." She said sweetly."What'syour status?"

"Single, six foot, two inches, dark hair-"

"Cut it out you idiot!" Serena all but seethed.

She heard him laugh then say, "Target _Prick_ is heading back your way."

"Excellent. I've dropped off the package to Target_ Harpy_. Getting ready to leave right now. Come pick me up."

"Gotcha."

Turning around, Serena flashed Lita an apologetic, albeit blinding, smile. "Geez Lita. I'm sorry about this but I have to take off now."

Lita frowned. "Is something wrong?"

"Oh no, no." Serena reassured. "I just have to-" She cut herself off when she spotted the long, auburn hair of Nevan Procella about to enter the garage…and see Serena!

"You have to _what_, Serena?" Lita prodded, confused.

"I, uh, uh, have to do homework." She said in a rush. "Okay. It was nice to see you. Gotta go! Take care!"

And before Lita could realize that the very idea of Serena doing homework was completely ludicrous, her petite friend had given her a short hug and disappeared.

"What the hell-" Lita pulled off her cap, utterly confused. Spotting the Taco Bell bag, she shrugged. She was hungry and it was her lunchtime. Lita grinned. Whistling to herself, she stepped out of her working jumpsuit, grateful to feel the rush of air that swept around her. It was then that she heard the scuffling of shoes behind her. Cautiously, she bent over to pick up her jumpsuit, slowly turning around…to meet the surprised gaze of Nevan Procella.

_**

* * *

a few minutes ago...**_

"Is that a threat, Miss Kingston?"

"Oh no. It's a promise."

Nevan's eyes widened at the brazen act of hatred and opened his mouth to shoot a reply when he felt his phone ringing. Deciding it was better to speak to someone who was probably saner than the young woman in front of him; he spun on his heel and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Woah." Darien said with a grin. "You sound pissed."

Nevan snorted but smiled nonetheless. "You don't know the half of it."

Darien mocked surprise. "Don't tell me you're at the garage _again_!"

"As sad as it is to say, I am." Nevan admitted, stepping outside of the garage for a little more privacy. He didn't even notice the lone motorcycle and its rider just off the distance, the rider speaking into a phone. Darien smirked from his standpoint,

"You know, buddy. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're going there to see that girl."

"And you spend your days awaiting the moment you and Serena will collide with each other." Nevan taunted. He sighed. "How is she anyway? I haven't seen her in a while."

Darien realized a new sense of 'irony' as he watched Serena creep into the garage from another entrance as Nevan continued to step out of it.

"I wouldn't know." Darien said distractedly, making sure Serena had Lita occupied.

"Really." Nevan said. "Keith said she called up the other day, wanting to talk to Art."

That got Darien's attention. "Hmm. That's weird. I saw them together at the Arcade two months ago."

"Interesting." Nevan laughed. "Think Arty's going for the younger generation?"

"Nev, that's disgusting." Darien said plainly. "Plus, like Art's got time out of work to take care of personal affairs."

"True, true." Nevan conceded laughingly. He sighed. "Damn, Darien, you gotta help me out here with this girl."

"Your engineer?" Darien asked, smiling.

"More like my pain-in-the-ass." Nevan replied. "Seriously man," He insisted at hearing Darien laugh. "You need to come here and turn on the charm or something."

"What? Yours isn't good enough?" Darien teased.

"My charm seems to be repulsing her if anything." Nevan said dryly.

"Well, maybe you're trying the wrong tactic." Darien suggested lightly. "Try doing something nice for her."

"You make it sound as though we're even on speaking terms."

"Well, aren't you?" Darien asked.

"We're more on 'insulting terms' if anything." Nevan replied.

"Well, get her a drink or something."

"Darien, have you been listening to my descriptions of this girl? According to the guys that work at the garage, she's in high school!"

"Not _that_ type of drink, you idiot." Darien said, exasperated. "Get her a soda or something. Show her you're not a complete ass."

"Hey! I resent that."

"I'm your friend. Consider it advice." Nevan smiled and, out of the corner of his eye, spotted a fast food restaurant.

"You know what, Darien?" Nevan said, already making to move across the street. "I think I might take that advice."

"See something you like?" Lita suggested, picking up her suit and laying it on her tool box then facing Nevan. Of course, he'd never admit to the harpy that she had an awesome pair of legs on pain of being slowly castrated if he did so. The older man sighed and walked up to the girl. She only noticed that he was carrying something when he held it out to her. Lita found herself looking at a plastic cup with a plastic cover and a plastic straw. "What the-"

"It's a peace offering." She noted his tone of resignation with mild amusement. One look at his face made her realize that this wasn't exactly the highlight of his day. As she opened her mouth to hurl an insult, Serena's smiling face came to her mind.

"_Give the guy a chance. I'm sure he's not as horrible as you make him out to be."_

Looking at Nevan's outstretched hand and the drink in it, Lita relented to the nicer side of her personality, conceding that Nevan hadn't witnessed it during the whole time they had 'known' each other. The thought of Serena reminded her…

Nevan watched with slight confusion as the girl turned around and reached for a bag that was labeled…

"Taco Bell?" He quirked an eyebrow at the bag. Lita shrugged.

"My friend brought it over but she had to leave." She gestured to the contents. "She brought two meals. Care to share?"

Something resembling a smile reached Nevan's face.

"_Show her you're not a complete ass."_

Darien's advice filled Nevan at that point and he nodded.

"That'd be nice." He finally said. "I know we got off on the wrong foot but, seeing as how my car's going to be under your...tools, and despite even that, I shouldn't have been so assuming at our first meeting." Nevan sighed, holding out a hand to her, his other hand grasping a drink he bought for himself. "Temporary truce?"

Lita quirked a small smile and Nevan noted that she looked prettier when she wasn't scowling at him. She nodded. "Agreed."

* * *

Serena watched the exchange with a huge grin on her face.

"You look like a five year old at Christmas." She stuck out her tongue at Darien then quickly looked back at the duo that was currently having what looked like an amiable meal together.

"Don't kill my fun, loser." She retorted. "See? Who says they hate each other."

"Tyler, it's more of a standstill than love." Darien warned her. Granted, Lita was the probably the first girl to endure Nevan past his chauvinistic first impression…and amuse him too for that matter. Of course, he wasn't going to admit that to Serena.

"Well, it's better than how it was before." She said. "I'll take what I can get at his point."

With that, she pulled out a small notebook and jotted down a few things. Darien peered over her shoulder and watched as she wrote, in her small calculated script,

**Operation****: Dull Arrows, Thick Skulls**

**Targets****: Girls (**_**Flake, Prude, Harpy, Brat**_**) and Guys (**_**Snob, Playboy, Prick, Clueless**_**)**

**Objective****: Bring soul mates (a.k.a. moving targets) to each other. If uncooperative, bash respective heads together till they mesh. Either approach is acceptable.**

**Operatives****: Eros and Cupid**

**Progress****: Couple Lightning can now endure each other. Now work on everyone else. **

**Completion****: (5%) percent**

Darien grinned despite himself. "Five percent huh? We've got a long way to go."

Serena smiled back at him. "No one ever said this was going to be easy."

He rolled his eyes. "You could've told me that before we started this." He sighed and slung a leg over his motorcycle. "Where to now, Cupid?"

Serena closed the small notebook. Grinning like a giddy madwoman, she followed his suit, preferring not to ride in a 'lady-like' manner.

"To the temple, dear comrade." She said exaggeratedly. "Our work today is not yet done."

Darien shook his head in disbelief. "You're insane, Tyler."

"You know you love me for it." She practically shouted as Darien revved up his motorcycle. With a small shriek, Serena grabbed hold of Darien as they sped into the street.

**

* * *

chickay**: ok. i know i know i should be working on MAMC, but this story's just writing itself. granted, i didn't realize it would take me so long to do a chapter so i guess i'll have to revise my original schedule. my schedule will also have to be pushed back a little more, considering thati have a category 3 hurricane named wilma coming at my state. wish us floridians good luck. this one doesn't look (or sound) pretty.

for those who are just tuning in or the others who haven't noticed, so far, each of my chapters has been a month. chapter 1 was set in june, chater 2 in july, and chapter 3 in august. i originally intended for rei and jason's portion to be included in this chapter too, but the chapter was just so long that i didn't want to tire out my readers with too much info at once. so, yeah, chapter 4 and 5 with September and the other months/chapters coming up will be split into two as well to encompass the couples and their trials.

i've actually been getting a lot of comments about the guys and their names. but no one (so far) has gotten the pun with the guy's names.

**yes**, the guys names do mean something.

my readers of my stories have probably noted that i love the latin language…so much, that i decided to incorporate the language into this story. check out the latin translations for the guys' last names:

(zeke) **niveus -** snowy

(jason)** exuro - **_set on fire_

(nevan)** procella** - _storm_

(keith)** aduro** - _light_

fun, isn't it? review and let me know!

p.s. while i love quesadillas, i don't own them or taco bell.

**10/24/05**

**edited: 6/19/07**

**edited: 10/24/09  
**


	5. Sepempter II: Breaking The Ice

**Cupid's Last**

**Breaking The Ice...And Other Things**

**September. II

* * *

**

Jason Exuro braced himself, holding out his arms at the half-naked girl who was coming at him with fire in her eyes. Usually, he would've taken the time to enjoy the view. However, Raye was more likely to gouge out his eyes before cutting off the family jewels.

"YOU INSUFFERABLE INGRATE!"

"Now Raye, I think you should-"

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME BY MY NAME YOU ASSHOLE WHEN I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT WHAT YOU THINK!"

"That's fine but don't you think you should at least put on some clothes and…Raye? What're you holding…?"

Darien sweat dropped as he recognized the voices of Raye and Jason in the distance.

"Crap." Serena whispered to him, cautiously stepping back to the lower steps that led up to the Cherry Hill temple.

Darien and Serena's eyes suddenly bulged out of their sockets as they saw…

Raye, hair dripping wet, wrapped in a towel glaring down with murder in her eyes at Jason, who was drenched from head to toe.

Serena groaned. "Oh, this can't be good."

Two sets of blue eyes blinked simultaneously as they took in the scene before them. Darien's tall frame bent over to Serena's before muttering,

"I think we've caught them at a bad time."

"…YOU MISERABLE BASTARD! HOW DARE YOU! HAVE YOU NO RESPECT? WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

The little blonde at Darien's side sweat dropped, her eyes moving left and right, following the antics of her and Darien's friends.

"I think you might be right…"

"..IT WAS AN ACCIDENT I SWEAR!"

"BULLSHIT YOU SON OF A GUN!"

"LOOK, YOU'RE GRANDFATHER TOLD ME TO FIX THE PIPES IN THE BATHS AND-"

"YOU DECIDED TO HAVE A FREE PEEP SHOW?"

"LOOK, I HAD NO IDEA YOU WERE GOING TO BE IN THERE-"

"THAT'S A BLOODY LIE!" At this point, Raye seemed to manifest a broomstick out of nowhere, somehow managing to hold up the towel around her body as she continued to chase the frightened Jason. "YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT I TAKE MY BATHS AT THIS-"

At this emphatic pause, the sound of a broomstick whacking against exposed flesh resonated throughout the (usually) peaceful temple, followed by a,

"YEOW!"

"HOUR." **Smack**.

"CRAP, LADY THAT _HURTS_!"

"EVERY." **Smack**.

"OH MY GOD! I THINK I'M _BLEEDING_!"

"FRICKIN." **Smack**.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I THINK I'M-"

"DAY!" **Smack. Smack. Smack.**

"I think we should come back at another time." Darien muttered, wincing as Raye hit his friend again. When he heard no reply, he turned around and saw that Serena was already halfway down the temple steps. "Hey!"

"A minor setback." Serena called over her shoulder as she heard Darien approaching.

"'_Minor_?'" Darien repeated incredulously. "Tyler, Raye was beating him up with a broomstick like the Wicked Witch of the West!"

"For one thing, the Wicked Witch of the West was just misunderstood and two," Serena spun around for emphasis and Darien groaned when he saw the smile on her face. "This is actually a good thing."

Darien raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am." Serena said. "Now that he's managed to piss her off, there's no way she can ignore him. Raye always sticks her nose in the air when it comes to any guy and all her admirers are too cowardly and intimidated to try to talk to her." The smile on her face widened. "Believe it or not, I consider this a victory that I didn't even have to do anything about."

Darien only watched dumfounded as Serena sauntered over to his motorcycle and put on one of the helmets.

"Well come on Carson!" She said playfully to him, beckoning him. "Now that this couple is fine on its own, let's see how Ames and Zekey-boy are doing." Serena shrugged. "In any case, this worked to our advantage. If we went up there and tried to solve things, Raye and Jason would've seen us and we can't have that, remember? They can't see us together."

Darien nodded grudgingly. It seemed pure luck that only one of their potential couples (Keith and Mina) knew each other while the rest were clueless of the other persons' existence.

"Tyler, I hope you realize that Nevan and Lita talking to each other means nothing," Darien said patiently, straddling his motorcycle. "Especially when the others can't even stand their 'partners.'"

He felt Serena arms come around his waist and her voice on his shoulder, "And I hope you realize that I'm not giving up."

* * *

Amy seriously felt like giving up. She stared at the results that came out of the computer and just frowned at it.

"Why aren't you making _sense_?" She muttered to it. Everything was coming out sporadically and it was bugging the living crap out of her. '_Back to square one._' Blowing a piece of her hair out of her eyes, Amy turned around to create some more specimens…

…only to knock into Zeke…

…who dropped a tray of what looked to be something that shouldn't have dropped.

Amy's mouth dropped to a perfect little 'o' and her eyes widened as she watched the liquid splash onto the floor, then trailing her eyes back up to Zeke, who was now biting his cheek. He was literally holding back a really mean comment.

"Oh, my." Amy winced. Even though she had no idea what was in that goop on the floor, she had a feeling it was very very important. "Oh, Zeke, I'm sorry I didn't-"

Zeke held up a hand to silence her. "It's _fine_." He clipped although it was more than apparent that it wasn't fine.

"Oh, I'll clean it up." Amy winced at the mess at their feet.

"_I said_," Zeke gritted out. "It's fine. I'll clean it up."

"No really," Amy persisted, feeling him get really annoyed with her and fighting the urge to roll her eyes and sigh. It had been like this since she'd starting working at the lab. Amy couldn't seem to do anything right by Zeke standards and he let it be known. Every little slip up or slight misconduct was enough for him to admonish her.

"It's fine." Zeke repeated firmly. "I'll clean it up." He gave an exasperated sigh as he continued to brush by her, shaking his head, muttering, "You might make an even bigger mess."

Amy's head whipped over to his retreating back, blue eyes narrowing. "Excuse me?" She demanded. "What did you just say?"

Zeke rolled his eyes before turning to face her. "Nothing." He shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "Just try not to do it again."

With that, he turned right around and began pulling out the sanitizing sheets from the cabinets. Amy stared at him, incredulous.

"This was not my fault." She said out right.

"Well, it sure as hell wasn't mine either, now was it?" He still didn't turn around to look at her, which infuriated Amy even more.

"It's no one's fault." She stated as calmly as she could. "It's called an accident."

Zeke glanced at her over his shoulder, his lips pursed in this condescending expression that Amy had been seeing practically every day since she came into the lab. "Whatever you say."

Amy scoffed softly when he turned around again to ignore her. That was basically his job every day. Either ignore her or patronize her. Fighting the urge to hurl a beaker at his head, she closed her eyes, counted to ten and looked away from his general direction and got back to her station.

* * *

Dr. Watson watched on with a bemused expression on his face before stepping back out of the room, unnoticed by either of his interns.

"Well?" The old man looked up to see the blonde teenager sitting at his desk, an expectant expression on her face. Dr. Watson smiled sadly at her.

"I must say, Miss Tyler," He said, shaking his head in amusement. "As a scientist, I try not to completely block out every possibility but this..." He trailed off, letting out a whoosh of air, still shaking his head. "_This_ is going to take a miracle."

"Thank you!" Dr. Watson turned so see Darien pushing himself off the wall and nodding emphatically. "See? Even he agrees! A scientist! A dude who definitely knows his probability and...stuff."

"'Probability and stuff.'" Serena repeated, raising an eyebrow mockingly at him. "Right. Anyway…" With that she pulled out her cell phone, a pink contraption with a little bunny as an accent. "Let's see just how annoyed Zeke can be against Ames."

"Hold up." Darien looked at her, confused. "You want him to get even _more_ pissed at her?"

"Zeke's been spending the better part of the last month ignoring Ames or thinking that she's otherwise incompetent." Serena explained, dialing. "Yet, he's never actually spoken to her."

"And considering how he feels towards her," Dr. Watson chimed in. "Is that really a good thing?"

"The opposite of love isn't hate but indifference." Serena said in a sing-song voice.

Dr. Watson turned to Darien. "…and you agreed to this?"

Darien's eye twitched as he rubbed a hand down his face. "It's not exactly something I brag about."

* * *

Zeke had just thrown away the last bit of the mess when he heard a weird beeping pattern. Looking up, he watched Amy reach over and pluck a cell phone from her pocket. Amy felt his gaze and turned to look at him, recognizing the annoyance in his expression before he even spoke.

"We're not allowed to receive calls inside the lab." He said, quoting one of the rules that Dr. Watson had set for them.

"It's my friend." Amy said, trying to reason with him. "She knows that I'm here. She wouldn't call unless it was an emergency." Suddenly, Amy got very annoyed at him. She frowned, pinching her lips together. "In any case, I don't see how it would affect you."

Without waiting for a reply from him, Amy defiantly flipped open her cell phone and turned her back to him.

"Hello?"

"Hey Ames!" Serena chirped brightly. Amy couldn't help but smile at the cheerfulness of her comrade.

"Hello Serena." Amy said carefully, very much aware that Zeke was staring at her back. "What's up? Is there anything wrong?"

"Oh no." Serena said exaggeratedly, twirling a strand around her finger lazily while Dr. Watson and Darien looked on with what-the-hell expressions on their faces. "I just wanted to talk to you."

Amy blinked. Twice. Tongue-in-cheek, she shook her head while smiling. Serena always seemed to have that affect on everyone. "Serena," Amy began patiently. "That's great, but I'm busy right now and-"

"Well, that's why I called." Serena cut in. "I figured you might want someone to help make the workplace a little happier."

Amy snorted, smiling at Serena's sweet antics. "Sere, I appreciate that, I really do. But my '_superior_' is currently glaring daggers at my back."

"Awww." Serena mocked. "Are you sure it's not love and admiration in his eyes?"

Amy rolled her eyes, catching Zeke's very disapproving expression as he watched her over a microscope. Amy sighed, turning around again so he couldn't hear her, "Nope. Definitely daggers."

Serena laughed. "Aww, Ames. I don't know why you put up with that. You know you're way too smart to have to endure the likes of some overgrown nerd weed."

"Hey." Amy said in joking indignation. "In case you forget, I'm a nerd weed, too."

"No you're not." Serena countered. "You're more of a nerd-rose than a nerd-weed, much more likeable than what you're cooped up with apparently."

"You have _no_ idea." Amy said dryly, sighing. "In any case, Sere, I should really go. I don't want to piss him off anymore than I already have."

"Fine." Serena consented. "But, promise me, Ames." She said quickly. "If that jerk in there pushes you too far, that you'll leave okay?"

"But Sere-"

"No 'buts' Ames!" Serena declared. "You're young, smart, and perfect capable of getting an internship elsewhere. You deserve better than a jerk who's constantly putting you down, especially with school starting in a week."

"It's hardly like I'm dating him."

"You're working together. It might as well be the same thing." Serena insisted. "Constructive criticism is one thing. Hostility is another."

"Fine, Sere." Amy said, exasperated but grateful for her friend's concern. "If he goes too far, I'll quit."

"And make the sucker beg on his knees before going back there with him once he realizes how much that lab needs you!" Serena added with a glee that made Dr. Watson and Darien stare. Amy's voice on the line laughed.

"Sure thing Serena." The pretty brunette said. "Bye."

"Ciao!"

Amy was still stuffing the phone away when she heard a snort in the background. Turning, she faced Zeke, who was alternatively shaking his head and writing down notes. For some reason, this _really_ irritated her.

"Is there something the matter, Mr. Niveus?" Amy requested in a hard tone.

"Nope." Zeke clipped harshly. "Nothing at all." He smirked. "So what great catastrophic event occurred that you had to waste lab time for?"

Amy felt herself glaring, a characteristic she hadn't even realized that she had. "For your information," She managed to grit out, trying to quell the unusual rage that was building up in her. "My friend was just concerned about me."

"Hmm, you don't say." Amy could've let the comment slide, despite the sarcasm oozing off it. But she didn't.

"Look." She said, slamming her palm onto one of the desk to grab his attention. Zeke looked back at her, mouth twisted in annoyance. "If you have a problem with me, Mr. Niveus, I suggest you let it out now rather than play this ridiculous game."

"Game?" Zeke asked faintly, with a mocking distant look. "What game?"

"This little game of yours that you seem to enjoy taunting me with. It's quite irritating trying to do work when I have you at my back every second from the moment I walk in here."

"Work?" He repeated incredulously. "On the contrary, Miss Merquise, if you can't even think straight to focus on one little task, maybe you ought to reconsider sticking around here."

There was a pause, before Amy said, "You've been dying to tell me that since I first got there, haven't you?"

Knowing that it was the truth yet he'd probably get his head bitten off, Zeke decided to remain quiet. Amy was still looking at him with this expression of disgust that almost made him want to take back his words.

"Listen here," Amy snapped. "I know you may not like me or think I'm incompetent to some extent, but I would expect someone that Dr. Watson speaks so highly of wouldn't be such a narrow-minded, arrogant…jerk!"

"Is that so?" Zeke came at her now, maneuvering around the machinery in the room. "I will have you know Miss Merquise, that there have been dozens of interns before you, all about your age and your experience, or rather, lack thereof and none of them-do you hear me?- none of them have lasted more than two months." He scoffed at her. "I'll admit I'm surprised that you've lasted this far but when comes right down to it, you're not needed here. I'm sure there are other places out there that want an insipid, social, high school student that can't do anything right and constantly fumbles around in the work area while making phone calls to her girlfriends!"

* * *

"That was duly uncalled for." Dr. Watson grumbled as he sat at his desk, reading Amy Merquise's letter of resignation. Zeke crossed his arms across his chest, not meeting his mentor's eyes. "She was a good young girl and an apt worker. Your behavior was absolutely inexcusable." He paused to glare up at his student. "Are you listening? Do you hear me, _Ezekiel_?"

Zeke visibly winced at his full name, knowing that, if not already, he was in major shit. Dr. Watson continued to glare at him.

"I'm sure you realize what you have to do now." Zeke's head whipped around.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"I am not!" Dr. Watson balked, standing up with his rounded body. "Amy Merquise has been the most dedicated worker in this lab that we've had since I first put you in here. She may be clumsy, yes," He added quickly when Zeke opened his mouth to protest. "But nevertheless she's good. She takes excellent, concise notes and comes through with the assignments she assigned to, which," Dr. Watson pushed through as Zeke once more tried to speak out for himself, "As far as my memory serves me, was a lot better than your initial conduct at her age."

At that particular comment, Zeke winced again, realizing that he had already lost. Dr. Watson watched Zeke, marveling inside his old, grey mind at how acutely sharp that Serena girl was in predicting her friend's actions. Now for the toppings.

Zeke's vision was suddenly obscured by a piece of paper flying in front of his face. "What the-"

"This is your newest assignment." Dr. Watson said, physically turning Zeke around and forcing him towards the door. "And until you complete it, you are not permitted to return to this laboratory."

And the door slammed, sealing the poor man's fate.

* * *

Amy slammed the door shut as soon as she opened it, only to have the man on the other side yell out a yelp as the door slammed into his foot.

"_Okay_!" Zeke yelled from the other side, wincing at the pain. "I get it! You're pissed."

Amy opened the door fully, saying, "You have _no_ idea." Before slamming to door against his foot again.

"Gah!" Zeke fought back against his frustration and annoyance. "Okay, okay!" He said, to the almost-closed door. "Look, I know you're mad-"

"_Pissed._" Amy corrected on the other side.

"Right," He corrected himself, never realizing just how painful having one's foot being wedged between two corners was until that moment. "I know you're pissed at me right now but don't you think I'm here for a reason?"

"What? Your new intern is deaf so she can't listen to your complaints?"

"For the love of God, quit killing my foot!" He called out, practically howling as Amy opened and slammed the door again for emphasis, smiling as she did so. Life was good when she didn't have to worry about getting in trouble for physically hurting her superior. "And we don't have another intern! Watson refuses to get anyone else but you!"

The pressure on Zeke's foot immediately alleviated and he fell back on the carpet of the hallway of the building, cradling his abused body part. Amy opened the door fully to her and her mother's apartment, looking down at Zeke as she leaned against the doorway. When she saw that Zeke's foot wasn't broken (darn!), she said,

"So why exactly are you here?" Zeke snorted, looking up at her from his position.

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked. "I'm here to get you back."

"Then feel free to leave now, Mr. Niveus." Amy said shortly. "I have no intention of going back. For your information, I've already applied to other places and have already been accepted to facilities that apparently have people that are a lot nicer than _you_."

"I don't doubt that." Zeke said tiredly, still on the floor. "However, as Dr. Watson so implied, we need you at the lab."

"Dr. Watson is the one that needs me." Amy said somewhat bitterly. "You-"

"Wish that I hadn't been a jerk." Zeke completed for her. Amy blinked as Zeke stood up, not meeting her eyes. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot, which is mainly my fault, I know." He added in a hurry, knowing she wanted to intervene. "But I want you to know that I'm not just doing this because I was ordered to." He sighed, realizing that it had definitely been a while since he'd had to humble himself. "Bottom line, Miss Merquise," He said, forcing himself to look at her. "I'm sorry and my behavior towards you has been uncalled for."

Amy blinked. "You're apologizing?"

Zeke had to sigh. "Yes. As you said, I was a jerk and you didn't deserve half of the things I said."

"'Half?'" Amy repeated with a small smile on her face.

Zeke smiled, too, relieved at she wasn't as furious at him as she had when she uttered her resignation and stomped out of the lab. "Well, you are in high school and you are a bit of a klutz."

Amy had to laugh. At least this time, she knew he wasn't saying things to be mean. She opened her mouth to reply when,

"Ames?"

"Hey, where'd you go?"

"Yeah and where are the chips?"

Amy turned back at Zeke's quizzical expression. "Ah, I'm having a small sleepover with my friends." She explained. "We wanted to get together before school started."

"That's right." Zeke mused. "You're a senior now; correct me if I'm wrong."

Amy nodded. "Yes. It'll be our final year."

Zeke nodded thoughtfully. "Right. Oh, here." He bent over by her doorway, picking up something Amy hadn't noticed before

"Uh...flowers?" She stammered as Zeke held them out to her.

"Roses." Zeke corrected with a sheepish smile. "My friend suggested I bring them over after hearing what a jerk I've been to you as of late."

"You have a smart friend." Amy murmured before turning her attention back to Zeke. "Thank you Mr. Niveus. I appreciate it."

"Thank you, Miss Merquise, for not completely rejecting me." He smiled.

"He's kinda cute from this angle." Lita commented.

"Agreed." Mina said. "Tall, not overtly muscular though."

"How can you tell?" Raye demanded. "He's wearing that coat." She craned her neck to try to see his face and failed.

"Well, I'm just guessing here." Mina said defensively, wishing he would turn his face so they could get a better look at him.

"So this is the jerk from the lab." Lita mused.

"Doesn't seem like that much a jerk to me with those roses." Raye said dryly.

"Still pissy about your latest peep show?" Mina teased, earning her a pinch from Raye.

"You have no idea." Raye muttered, before looking back into the bedroom. The girls were huddled around the corner, watching the exchange between the Amy and Zeke. Well, all except- "Serena!" Raye whispered hastily. "What's wrong with you? You're normally the first one to jump into everyone's business."

Serena stuck her tongue out at Raye before winking from the balcony in Amy's room. "Oh, grow up, Raye." She admonished jokingly. Raye rolled her eyes at her friend before focusing back on Amy's conversation. Once the brunette was gone, Serena turned back around, hand to chest in anticipation.

It came.

She tried to control the coughs that washed over her, pressing her handkerchief tightly against her mouth so as to not alert her friends. She felt her throat burn.

_Damnit_. Her eyes were now watering at her effort. She really couldn't hold back anymore of it. She let out a particularly strong one before she felt it stop. She sighed. It was over. When she pulled the handkerchief away from her mouth, she couldn't help but stare at the red stain. She clenched her hand, blocking the sight from her vision. She had to work harder.

The sudden beeping jolted her out of her thoughts and she reached for her cell phone, noticing then how her hand shook.

"H-Hello?"

"Eros to Cupid!" Darien all but shouted into the phone, causing Serena to wince in annoyance.

"Damnit Carson." She grumbled.

"The name's Eros, meatball head." Darien taunted. "So, has Target _Jerk_ arrived?"

Serena had to smile. "Yes. With a bouquet of roses for Target _Flake_, might I add?"

"Niiiice." Darien nodded with approval.

"I take it that was your doing?"

"I just make suggestions." Darien said, though his ego was pouring in from over the phone. "It's their issue if my friends take it." He paused, noticing something. "Hey, Tyler, what's up with you? You sick or something?"

Serena froze over the line, suddenly very grateful that he couldn't see her. "No." She stammered. "I'm fine. Just a bit sleepy, that's all."

"Right." Darien said dismissively. "Well, just wanted to check up on things. School starts this Monday, right?"

Serena nodded faintly. "Yeah. Be grateful your ass already graduated."

"I am, every day." Darien said. "Good luck with that, by the way. So, what's our next objective?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "You're having too much fun with this."

Darien laughed. "Damn straight."

**

* * *

chickay**: i felt horrible about updating MAMC and not CL. i really did have this chapter in storage for a really long time and i do apologize for the length of it. it is kinda long but i didn't want to end on a bad note with amy and zeke so i finished it up to the end. well, looks like things are turning around for at least half of our couples. btw, readers, i love reading your reviews because it gives me ideas as to what to throw at you all for entertainment. review review! make my ego inflate! wheee!

**posted**: February 25, 2006

**edited**: February 26, 2006

**edited: 6/19/07**

**edited: 8/17/09**

**edited: 10/24/09  
**


	6. October I: The Other Couple

**Cupid's Last**

**The Other Couple**

**October.I

* * *

**

"Where've you been?" Darien sweat dropped at the plump, pouty faces of the children, knowing he was in trouble. The pink-haired child, Rini, was the one that had spoken. "You're late!" She stated, stamping her foot for emphasis. "You're always late now!"

"Yeah!" The others chorused.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He said easily, trying to dissuade them. "But I've had things to take care of lately. I'm here now." He added hopefully.

Darien felt something tugging at his pant leg and looked down to see a small, chubby face with vivid red curls and bright blue eyes brimming with tears. She looked and acted nothing like Rini, but she was definitely her sister and her impact on him was all the same. Her bottom lip quivered as she lisped, "Dawien no pway with Chibi anymoe?"

Darien was at a loss for words as he surveyed her horribly devastated expression and the expression of the other children around him. He sighed inwardly. When this little venture started between him and Serena, he had no idea just how much of his time was going to be used up to simply plot against his best friends. However, Darien had come to realize that-

"It's not his fault, Chibi." Rini suddenly said, running over to pry her little sister away before Chibi started bawling like crazy. She patted Chibi's head like a mom and threw an accusatory glance over Darien's shoulder. "It's all _her_ fault!"

Darien's head whipped around and he caught sight of Serena sitting on the steps of the Orphanage, lost in thought as she scribbled into her 'mission' notebook. Even though she didn't have to, Serena made it a point to meet up with him at the Orphanage on a weekly basis. They had fallen into a routine on the weekends with Darien coming to the Orphanage to play with the kids and Serena arriving later than him but waiting all the same until he felt ready to leave. He didn't really know why she came; he was willing to meet up with her elsewhere. Serena justified her actions with the fact that there were few places in the city that their friends didn't know that either frequented.

"…Ever since she came around here, you haven't been coming to play with us on time!" Rini declared, bringing back Darien's attention just in time to miss Serena looking up at his general direction. She stopped writing in her notebook and studied the scene, amused.

"Yeah!" The group chorused

"Why?" Rini demanded, acting more like a hostile war general than an eight year-old who sleepwalked.

Darien sighed, rubbing his temples, suddenly noticing that he'd been doing this a lot since Serena's proposition: getting headaches.

"What's wrong, Darien?" The small voices called to him sullenly, making him pop his eyes back open. "Don't you like us anymore?"

Darien cringed, feeling a familiar pang in his chest as he looked down at all of the little kids by him. He knew from first-hand experience that the feelings these children had for him went beyond being upset that he didn't come to give them piggy-back rides. No. Like Chibi, who was younger and freer to show her emotions as they came, they were downright hurt. Even though Rini and the others glared up at him, they all had tears either waiting to fall or already trickling down their red cheeks. But, it was natural. They had all been abandoned by their parents, the first people who are expected to love and care for them from birth. The conditions of desertion varied from babies left at the doorstep or children who were literally shoved into the arms of the Quadri sisters by parents who couldn't or wouldn't handle them anymore. And Darien had understood his role in their lives. He knew he wasn't their parent, but he also knew that children who grew up with no good role model had less of a chance in succeeding in life. Now, despite being quite arrogant around Serena for whatever ungodly reason that spurred him to be arrogant around her, Darien actually wasn't so much a jerk as she would normally believe. In fact-

"He'd make a good father." The lilting voice shocked Serena out of her daze and she jumped before looking up to find a pretty woman with dark auburn hair and amber eyes to match. Serena felt her face flush for some reason, almost like she was caught in doing something she wasn't, which was preposterous since she was just…looking at Darien.

The stranger took a seat next to Serena, smiling and gesturing with a hand back over to where Darien was currently being tackled by what looked like the entire population at St. Jude's Orphanage. "I'm Ava, Cathy's sister." She introduced herself. "She's said that you've been coming here lately with Darien."

Serena nodded, glancing back at Darien and the kids. "He's really dedicated, isn't he?" She asked mostly to herself. Ava merely smiled. She reached up to her hair, tugging at the bow on top of her bun before replying,

"_Very_ dedicated." She corrected Serena. "Darien is amazing when it comes to the kids here. He's basically a big brother to everyone at the Orphanage."

"He's more of a big pain to me." Serena said dryly, closing her notebook and tucking it aside while Ava laughed out loud.

"Cathy tells me that you and he are often at odds with each other." She tried out cautiously, smile still in place.

"That's putting it lightly." Serena said with a roll of her eyes. Ava nodded wisely, choosing not to say anything right away. "My main motives around him usually involve my foot and some poor part on his body."

"I see…" Ava mused, a glint in her eye shining as she said, "Then, I'm quite surprised, actually."

"Huh? Why?"

"Well," Ava began in a thoughtful tone. "There's obviously little love lost between you and Darien yet you've been coming here to the Orphanage practically every week and Cathy tells me that you two always leave together…"

"Ehehe…" Serena sweat dropped at the subtle insinuation. "Oh, please. It's hardly anything like _that_."

"Really?" Ava's raised eyebrow and questioning tone gave away her skepticism.

"Really." Serena answered bluntly this time. "Truth be told, we can hardly tolerate each other. However, there are…_circumstances_ that require me and him to endure each other's presence in the meantime."

"'Circumstances?'" Ava repeated with the same amount of disbelief. Serena raised a finger to her lips and winked.

"Sorry." She said in a hush whisper. "It's a secret!"

Ava stared at Serena for a moment before laughing. "Okay, Serena." She said, hands up in defeat. "You can say what you will, but, even you have to admit that it does look strange that, considering how well you two don't get along, you're both hanging around each other rather frequently."

"I suppose it is slightly bizarre," Serena conceded before decisively shaking her head. "But it's nothing like that."

Ava nodded, satisfied for now. "Actually, I have another motive for speaking to you." She suddenly admitted. Serena looked at her curiously and Ava motioned for Serena to follow her into the building…

* * *

When she was seventeen, Luna Maui got what her mother referred to as "disgracefully bloody drunk" in the streets of London, thoroughly embarrassing herself and her family name when she was photographed obviously intoxicated and red-faced with her arms swung around a some foreign exchange student, lips puckered. Since that particular incident, she vowed never to get anywhere near alcohol and avoid any situation that might leave her open for humiliation.

Now, fifteen years later, she found herself in a bridal shop with no reason to be there. As she sat in the deeply comfortable chair in the almost zen-like store with its waterfall displays and incense, Luna had never felt so uneasy in her entire life. Especially since she wasn't, you know, _supposed_ to be there. The door suddenly opened and in walked the store's owner.

"Thank you for seeing me." Luna said politely to the tanned woman, standing and feigning gratitude as she shook the woman's hand. "I didn't know where else to go."

Trista Millard simply smiled back and gestured to the chairs in the room. "Well, let's get down to business, shall we?"

Luna felt her mouth twitch into a smile. "S-Sure."

The graceful woman took the seat behind the desk and leaned back in her chair. "I must say, though." She said, almost thoughtfully, "I was very surprised when you called."

"Really?" Luna said, genuinely curious. "Why did you say that?"

"Because, _Dr._ Maui," The title froze Luna in place and the other woman smiled knowingly at her reaction. "I was under the impression that doctors aren't supposed to intervene in their patients' lives." When Luna only looked on, mouth slightly open at being found out, Trista continued with a wry smile, "Not to mention, of course, no true bride-to-be walks into my store without a ring on her finger."

At that precise moment, Luna found herself thinking the exact same thing she had thought when she saw the tell-tale picture of herself in the society papers the morning after her drunken escapade: Oh bloody _hell_.

The woman named Trista Millard merely smiled as Luna brought a hand to cover her eyes in defeat and embarrassment. A moment later, Luna heard a small clink and saw that Trista had placed a drink in front of her face. She looked up at the tanned woman who poured herself a similar drink before sitting back behind her desk. Trista smirked.

"How about we assume that you're sorry for coming here on a false pretense and that I'm sorry for leading you on?" Luna had to let out a small chuckle and nodded. Trista nodded as well. "Very well then, it's agreed." She raised her glass out, like a hand in greeting.

"A toast, then." She proposed. "To my exuberant and strange niece whom I couldn't convince to have your recommended treatment even if I threatened to never speak to her. Believe me," Trista added when she saw that Luna was about to say something. "I've tried." Trista leaned forward, clinking her glass with Luna's and the good doctor saw by Trista's tired features that, like herself, Serena Tyler's own aunt had been distraught as Luna over the girl's blatant refusal. "Cheers."

Luna glanced at her own glass, lost in thought. She had come to the shop after learning that Trista Millard was the girl's only other living relative. Luna looked at the other woman, who was sipping her own drink. Trista was about her own age, slightly taller than the good doctor with dark hair that seemed to have a deep, emerald hue to it. Her eyes were a somber shade of red, a strange combination and a physical appearance that seemed to set her in the opposite spectrum from the blond-haired, blue eyed Serena. Luna had intended to find some way or another to convince this woman to coerce Serena to accept the treatment. However, she was apparently sorely mistaken. She sighed, defeated both in her original mission when she came to this place, and saddened that she could still not get the girl's face out of her mind.

"She's a lively one, isn't she?" Luna snapped back to reality to Trista, who looked at Luna with a sad smile. "Believe me Doctor. Serena has a mind of her own. If she refuses treatment, it will be because she's thought it out and decided, on her own, that she doesn't want to be treated."

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Luna burst out, frustrated. "She's young. The risks for her aren't as bad as they would be if she was older and-"

"To Serena," Trista cut in quietly, swirling her drink. "It does make sense." She looked up and caught Luna's eye. "Doctor, I understand where you're coming from." She said soothingly. "It's not as if I haven't had this conversation with that stubborn child already. And it's definitely not like I encouraged this damned choice of hers-"

"Then _why_?" Luna countered. "Is it the money? Because-"

Luna had to stop because Trista started laughing like it was the most ridiculous thing. "Oh, I'm sorry." Trista said between giggles. "To answer your question, no, it's not about the money. In fact, my strongest argument was about the money. But it's not about that, no." Trista seemed to muse. "When you get down to the bottom of it all, there aren't many other options. My niece seems to have resigned herself to her fate."

"But she doesn't have to!" Luna said, growing increasingly frustrated. "There is a way and we can save her."

"Dr. Maui, you still don't understand." Trista said calmly, despite Luna's outburst. "Serena doesn't want to be saved. She has refused. Quite frankly, there is nothing any of us can do." She paused, exotic eyes lost in thought. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

"Well, that was fun." Serena commented as she walked alongside Darien, licking her ice cream happily. They had left the Orphanage and Darien had taken her on his motorcycle back into the city.

"Fun for you maybe." Darien muttered darkly, rubbing the back of his neck. "You didn't have to deal with a bunch of runts jumping you."

"Aww, but you looked like you were enjoying yourself." Serena teased. "Especially when that particularly chubby kid did a body slam on you."

"Shut up." Darien glared at her and she only laughed, sidestepping an old couple walking by. The duo was at a local park, discussing their next target: Mina and Keith.

"Anyway," Serena changed the topic, biting into her ice cream. "Here's the deal: we're throwing a birthday party for Mina next week. That's where we make our move."

Darien raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not planning anything involving a nude Keith and a huge cake, are you?"

He laughed when Serena swatted an arm at him, only to have what was left of her ice cream roll out of the cone, making Darien laugh even harder at the completely distraught expression on her face.

"Oh, shut up!" Serena demanded, looking very comical as she waved her empty cone threateningly at her 'partner.' She straightened, still pouting as she looked despairingly at her empty ice cream cone. Darien felt a smile tugging unbidden at his mouth. He had to admit, when she was upset, Serena could look kind of cut-

'_What the hell am I saying?'_ Darien must've acquired some horrified expression on his face because Serena looked over at him curiously.

"Hey, Carson." She said. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Her hand was reaching out now to touch his face out of concern but he dodged out of her reach, saying,

"It's nothing." He quickly got out. Serena looked at his back as he walked up ahead of her, hiding the curious color creeping up his face. _'I've been around her for too long.'_ He convinced himself. _'That's all. If I was in my right frame of mind, I wouldn't think she was actually…'_

"Anyway," Serena stressed, brushing aside his odd behavior and catching up on him on the pathway. "We've still got some other issues to sort out."

Darien frowned. "How so?"

"Well, for one thing, Lita's almost done with Nevan's car." Serena pointed out. "And while they've been getting around relatively well-"

"She threw a _screwdriver_ at him." Darien interrupted, referring to an incident that occurred just last week.

"After he made yet another insulting comment at her." Serena bit back. "However, they both reconciled-"

"After we had to step in _again_." Darien reminded her. She stuck out her tongue at him in reply.

"Anyway, they have been getting along better than before but now they're going to have to split since she's going to stop working on his car."

"That is a problem." Darien murmured in agreement. "So how do you plan to solve this one?"

"Depends."

"On what?" Darien looked at her with a wary glance. She smiled back him with that angelic and devilish mix that he was growing accustomed to as of late.

"On which of us has better aim."

There was a pause before recognition and horror registered into Darien's eyes.

"Oh hell _no_!" He all but shouted. Serena shrugged.

"Fine." She said shortly. "If you won't, then I will."

"Tyler, do you have any idea what he's going to do when he finds out what you've done?" Darien felt like grabbing her and shaking some sense into her again. "Have you utterly lost it?"

"Oh chill out." Serena admonished. "For the love of God, it's not like he can't afford to have his car fixed," She added as an afterthought, "…again."

"Tyler, that car is his _baby_." Darien stressed. "He's going to have a fit!"

"And then he can bitch to Lita about it," Serena reasoned, half dreamily. "And they can bond together over arguing about the psycho who would dare harm his little _baby_." She added with sarcasm at the last word.

Darien groaned. "You've lost it." He muttered, looking off into the distance. "You have utterly-"

"**OH MY GOD**!" A shrill voice sounded from the distance. "**DARIEN? IS THAT YOU MY SUGAR BEAR!**"

Serena turned around in an attempt to find the source of the voice but nearly got whiplash when Darien latched onto her arm and started running.

No, not even like a short sprint; the man ran like demonic Teletubbies from hell were at his heels, Serena all but flying off from his vice-like grip on her forearm. Finally, while Serena was still dazed and confused, Darien stopped at a crossway, looking, left, right, front, and behind him before (of all the stupid things!) jumping into a bush and clamping his hand shut over Serena's mouth.

"Okay." He whispered harshly. "I know this is very, _very _strange. But right now, I will have to beg for you to stay quiet."

Serena struggled out of his grasp, still crouched in the bushes. "Carson, what the hell is going on?" She hissed at him.

"Do you remember that time that I slathered everything in your locker with honey?" Darien asked suddenly. Serena glared at the memory and he saw that she definitely remembered. "And then," He continued. "To get revenge on me, you planted that ring in that girl's locker, making it look like I was going to ask her to freakin' marry me."

"Well, Alisha wasn't really your girlfriend." Serena said, half-musingly of the crazed brunette she had tricked back in sophomore year. "She was just dangerously infatuated with you."

"Well," Darien continued stonily. "As it was, it took me a week to shake her off but since then, she's still, and this is according to all the guys and not just my ego, hung up on me and I think she just saw-"

"**DARIIIIIIEEEEEEN**?" A whiny voice suddenly called out. "**BABBBYYYY**? **WHERE ARE YOUUU**?" Darien and Serena's hands shot out simultaneously at each other's mouths, hearing Alisha's footsteps nearing. The girl was gasping for breath, obviously just having taken off once she had noticed Darien in the park. "**SUGAR BEAR, ARE WE PLAYING HIDE-AND-SEEK**?"

Serena almost laughed but Darien tightened his grip over her mouth, and she glared at him expressively. He peered over the bushes and saw his ex standing there, obviously lost and confused. _'Some things don't change._' He observed with some irony, remembering that Alisha had never been exactly too bright when he was dating her…or after…or even before for that matter. Just then, he felt Serena struggling with his grip. He looked down at her, realizing that she had released her hold over his mouth to wave her hands frantically at something. He tried to signal to her that her whining noises were attracting Alisha's attention and she was walking over to them at that very second. However, Serena wouldn't stop and her eyes seemed livid with panic. He finally followed her eyes to find…

A black widow spider. As in, a poisonous black widow spider…creeping up on his pant leg.

Alisha McKnight heard two loud shouts of terror and spun around, her creepy sense of hearing detecting her 'beloved's' exclamation of horror. She ran to the source and peered over the bush.

…only to witness the sight of her 'dear' Darien being straddled by some random blonde.

"D-Darien?" Alisha managed to stutter. "What's going on?"

Darien and Serena glanced at each other, at a loss for words, knowing exactly how such a scene would look in the eyes of a passerby. Man, it couldn't have looked good. Even if, Serena had to admit, she did feel something so right about things.

"Um, uh," Serena mumbled incoherently, trying to find a way to explain the situation.

"Uh, Alisha," Darien began slowly, trying to formulate a plan then settling on trying to charm her away from questioning things further. "Hi." He tried pitifully.

"Darien, what's going on?" Alisha asked again, looking very sadly at the guy who, in truth, had actually dumped her after she could've sworn he simply had cold feet before he could give her that gorgeous rock she found in her locker.

"Er, Alisha." Darien said, his mind trying to think clearly. He glanced over at Serena, who was still on top of him and, before he knew it, "Meet my girlfriend, Serena."

And, with Alisha looking at him with a mix of confusion and horror, Darien Carson did the unthinkable; reaching up and cupping Serena Tyler's face before pressing his mouth against hers, catching her in a very unexpected kiss. So unexpected was it that Serena didn't even have the time to register the offense to close her mouth, instead (to her retrospective horror) letting him in. Somewhere, Alisha screamed in the back of Serena's mind, but the blonde was currently preoccupied by Darien's intrusion, however good it might've felt. As for Darien, some part of him felt relief at having avoided his ex, although he truthfully made no effort to move away from the lithe blonde in his arms even after the logical part of his brain told him that Alisha was long gone. After all, when something felt _this_ right, who was he to argue?

Hours later, in the comfort of his apartment, Darien Carson would tend to his bruising eye, a present from the sweet Serena who had happily decked him after Alisha had rounded the corner in tears, blubbering about losing the love her of her young life. Apparently, the blonde had little tolerance for idiots who took advantage of situations to avoid having to explain things to their exes. In retrospect, Darien would remember that he had been considering other options at that precise moment that Alisha had found him in that precarious position with Serena. It wasn't as though he really had to explain himself to Alisha; they weren't dating. However, Darien would smile as he reclined in his chair, remembering the strangely giddy and good feeling he had in him for that eternity that he captured Serena's lips with his.

Serena Tyler, on the other hand, would be trying to do her English assignment in vain, every now and then cursing Edgar Allan Poe for being so damn depressed while wishing Darien a slow and painful death even if the very memory of the kiss made her shudder of how…_right_ it felt. She threw her pen across the room before flopping on her bed. She had called him an asshole and stated that they were going to work out the rest of the plan later on before practically high-tailing out of the park before he could see the red blush on her face let alone feel the rapid pounding in her chest. Although whether it was from her condition or from being so close with Darien Carson, Serena wasn't too sure anymore.

**

* * *

chickay**: so...how you like? to be perfectly honest, this came in a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing. i felt like even though this was supposed to be about serena match-making the girls, i wanted to delve into the darien-and-serena portion of this story. i'm not too sure how i feel about this chapter. this is a result of spring break, pending exams, and relationship issues and i'm quite certain nothing too spectacular has ever come out of such a mixture. well, you're my darling audience who had prodded me on. what do you think? send me a review to tell me how much you are (or aren't) liking this so far. mina and keith drama next time on Cupid's Last. oh yes, and thank you to my readers who courageously review me even after a long spell of no updates. apparently, some of you actually have faith in this story despite the fact that i'm the one writing it. review!

**posted**: April12 2006

**edited: 6/19/07**

**edited: 10/24/09  
**


	7. October II: Grow Up Already

**Cupid's Last**

**Grow Up Already**

**October. II

* * *

**

"Stupid. _Incredibly_ stupid…" Mina watched Keith pace back and forth in front of her on the couch in the Aden household, elbows propped on her thighs with her hands cupping her chin in boredom. Her substitute guardian had started this oh-so-lovely rant when she got home at 11:45, a horrifying fifteen minutes past her designated 'curfew.'

"…Do you have _any_ idea what could've happened to you? For Chrissakes Mina…"

It was now 12:15.

"I mean, who the hell was that kid anyway? For that matter, _what_ was he? He looked like a weasel with a bad haircut…"

…and Mina was beginning to wonder exactly how CIA agents did that sleeper's hold thing. Maybe if she moved her forefinger into that hollow of her neck…

"How do you even know that weirdo? Oh yeah. An 'ex-boyfriend of your friend's cousin.'" Keith was mocking her voice now. If Mina wasn't getting annoyed with him (and if he would actually provide her with an opportunity to speak), she had a feeling that she would've laughed at the poor (and highly over exaggerated) imitation.

"Didn't you consider that there was probably a very strong reason for your friend's cousin to break up with the weasel? I mean c'mon. One would think that a fifteen-year-old would have enough sense in her to realize when she's walking into-"

"Seventeen." Mina's sudden statement was a dry reply, cutting in contrast to the long-winded rant Keith had been sputtering out.

"What?" Mina rolled her eyes for what felt like the twentieth time that night at Keith's dumb reply. This was getting ridiculous.

"I'm seventeen, Keith." Mina enunciated slowly and loudly, as though speaking to a child…well, a child in a 21 year old's very nice, buff, built and broad body. Mina felt herself twitch at the reminder of exactly what was so close to her grasp yet so, oh so far away. She sighed, closing her eyes to compose herself. "I'm seventeen." Mina repeated before opening her eyes and daring to meet his head-on. "Not fifteen." _As you always manage to forget_. She thought to herself before her built-up frustration got the better of her and her pretty face twisted into an annoyed pout.

"And what's the big deal anyway?" Mina demanded, suddenly slouching in her seat and crossing her arms defiantly in front of her chest like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as I've been capable of doing all along. And even though my parents are away practically every week is no justification for you to be some kind of über-nanny; you're like, three seconds older than me! And in any case, this is my life and I don't think you should-"

"…You're seventeen?" Keith suddenly asked, apparently still stuck on Mina's true age.

The two-sentence question posed in the air after leaving Keith's mouth. He could almost see the faint outlines of the very words hanging in mid-air before one of the couch pillows cut through the space between his face and a very ticked-off Mina. With a well-placed kick to his shins, Mina stormed out of the room, hearing Keith's holler of ire until she slammed the door to her bedroom behind her. Mina pressed her back against the door, gazing at her popcorn ceiling, half-expecting Keith to chase her up the stairs and demand to speak to her.

She tried to laugh at the notion but it came out as a choked sob. Soon, the sound was followed by physical proof of her own pain as Mina felt her own eyes sting with tears that she had grown so accustomed to because of him.

"Right…" She said softly to herself, banging her own head against the door once in frustration. The tears rolled down the sides of her eyes and she swiped at them, irritated. "Like he'll ever ever come after me." She rubbed at her eyes furiously with one hand. "Hell," Mina muttered bitterly. "He can't even see me."

With that, she felt herself sliding down against the door, drained. She brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and resting her head. Keith's face flashed through her vision again and Mina's lip trembled. "Jackass."

"Tsk tsk tsk. That's not nice." Mina gave a startled jump and start at the voice and she whipped her head towards her two-story window at the silhouette that she hadn't even noticed before. Just as she opened her mouth to give out a blood-curdling scream at the intruder, the sickeningly happy grin of Serena Tyler flooded her vision. "Hey Mina! What's up?"

"S-Serena?" The meatball-headed teen smiled at her friend sympathetically as Mina continued to look shocked and confused at her friend's presence. "What- How did you get here? We're on the second floor!"

"Yeah, I know." Serena replied nonchalantly. "It was a bit of a stretch but I had some help. You really should clean out your gutters though. They're getting kinda ugly." Serena added.

Mina stared. "You climbed up my house?"

"Kinda." Serena winked. "I had some help." She repeated vaguely, picturing Darien beneath Mina's window.

"Why didn't you just use the front door?" Mina asked. "I mean, I understand you don't like doing things in the conventional way, but wouldn't that have been you, know-"

"Easier?" Serena suggested.

"'Saner' was the word I was going for." Mina teased lightly with a smile.

"Actually, I just felt like surprising you, that's all." Serena said. It was partly true, anyway. She just left out that part about where she was collaborating with her worst enemy, Darien, whom she had a fake-out make-out session with. She was_ still _annoyed at that.

"Right," Mina said, disbelievingly. Serena cocked her head to one side, watching her friend.

"You okay, Mina?" She asked softly.

Mina tried to force a smile. "No." She answered truthfully. "What gave it away?"

Mina felt Serena's cool, placating hand against her cheek and had to close her eyes at the soothing touch. "Your skin always gets blotchy when you cry." Serena said.

"Gee." Mina shot back with semi-laughing sarcasm, wiping at her face again. "Thanks."

"Oh, Mina," Serena coaxed, patting Mina's head of blonde hair in an effort to comfort her obviously distraught friend. "What did that clueless idiot do now?"

"You mean besides acting like my dad and thinking that I'm fifteen years old?" Mina snorted rhetorically with disdain, rolling her eyes so she missed the flinch in Serena's expression.

"Well," Serena tried, grasping. "At least he knows now that you're into your teen years."

"Somehow, that doesn't make me feel any better." Mina said dryly.

"Aw, c'mon Mina." Serena shook her friend gently with a plead. "Cheer up. Your birthday party's tomorrow and we can't have a sad birthday girl."

"'It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.'" Mina quoted ironically, making Serena groan at the lame joke.

"It's not your party yet." Serena pointed out. "And you won't be crying tomorrow." She smirked with a secret. "I promise."

**

* * *

Outside…**

"Darien, I don't think you're being reasonable." Darien sighed, running a hand through his ebony locks while speaking on the phone. "You shouldn't be out so late. Don't you have class tomorrow?"

"No I don't, Luna." He said patiently, understanding her concern for the young man she practically raised on her own.

"And you've been going out so often lately." Luna commented worriedly, ignoring his reply. "What are you doing out, though?" She asked suddenly, wondering where her 'nephew' was.

Darien felt his eye twitch. _'I just gave Serena a lift into Mina's window.'_ "Nothing much."

"Are you out with your friends?" Luna asked, genuinely curious now.

'_If you count that annoying blonde minx as a friend, then,'_ "Yes, I am."

"If you say so." Luna said, learning that it was better to let Darien keep whatever he wanted to himself. "I know you're already an adult but it doesn't mean that I can't bother you once in a while."

"You're never a bother." Darien said earnestly, making his guardian on the other line smile proudly.

"I would hope not." She shot back. "Now, listen, finish whatever it is you're doing then go home, do you understand me?"

"Yes mother." Darien said mockingly, hanging up just in time to see a pair of jean-clad legs dangle out of Mina Aden's window. Darien pressed himself against the wall of the house, effectively hiding himself just as Serena jumped down in front of him, waving good-night to Mina. They heard the window close and Darien quirked an eyebrow.

"Well?"

"Your friend's a clueless moron." Serena bit out, annoyed at Keith for hurting Mina so.

Darien scoffed. "Tell me about it.

**

* * *

The Next Night…**

The Aden couple was (once _again_) out of town and Mina and her friends had thrown a small party for her at the house. Of course, 'small' was a stretched description when it came to the star of the girls' volleyball team and the cheerleading captain. Various jocks and beauty queens filed into the Aden household mixed in with old time friends from other schools. Raye, Serena, Amy and Lita were scattered around the dance floor and pool deck, mingling and making sure everything was perfect for their best friend's birthday party. Hell, it's not every day that a girl turns eighteen.

Darien looked on the crowd at Mina's birthday bash. Music was blasting and the lights were dimmed as people were dancing on the pseudo dance floor that was usually Mina's pool deck. Darien leaned against the wall that curved around the kitchen. Serena was leaning on the same wall, but it didn't seem obvious that they were speaking to each other, let alone plotting together.

"Nice turnout." He commented lightly and Serena smiled devilishly, sensing his inquiring tone. "Although, I do have one question."

"Yes?"

"Why is over eighty percent of this room male?" He heard Serena snicker around the wall as they both turned their heads simultaneously to the huge couch in the living room. Mina sat in the middle of the sofa, looking very much like a goddess surrounded by at least seven boys that were currently praising and flirting with her. More guys were abound the premises, several of them shooting Mina's figure a longing and interested glance.

"Because," Serena explained, her tone oozing satisfaction. "I knew _he_'d be like that."

Darien saw her nod in a direction and followed her line of thought…to find Keith standing, arms across his chest in an imposing stance, glaring jagged icicles from the north pole at every single one of the suitors surrounding Mina.

"He doesn't look to happy," Serena said with sickening happiness. "Does he?"

Darien shook his head in mild disbelief. Only Serena would fan the flames of tension with a pink portable fan. "You're crazy, Tyler."

"I know." Serena said cheerily. "But at least I'm getting the job done, right?" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the tell-tale blue hair that marked Amy heading her way and smacked Darien square in the face in agitation. "Crap!" She hissed, ignorant to his exclamation of pain and annoyance. "Quick, get out of here!

"Hey, Ames." Serena suddenly greeted the resident genius cheerily. "How's it going?"

"It's been okay." Amy said distractedly, her eyes going over Serena's shoulder. "Serena?"

"Yes?"

"What were you doing talking to Darien?"

"W-What?" Serena sweatdropped and she hoped to all the Gods of every walk of faith that Amy couldn't tell. Amy pointed past Serena's shoulder and the blonde turned to follow the finger to Darien's back maneuvering through the crowd to the fuming Keith.

"You were talking to him." Amy said plainly before crossing her arms to an unusual mischevious smirk. "Are you two finally getting along now?"

"Ehehe…" Serena waved a hand dismissively. "Oh Ames, you have such an imagination." She said before laughing maniacally in a very desperate attempt to drive off Amy's originally mild suspicion.

The girl of the hour, as it was, was perched on the pristine white sofa in the living room. Her golden mane was styled in such a manner that only Raye's long and slender fingers could manipulate into. Amy politely shook her head at a drink someone offered her before leaning on the railing of the stairway.

"Well," She said. "It looks as though everyone is enjoying themselves."

"I'll say." Serena agreed chirply, earning her a disapproving look from Raye. "I'm not drunk." Serena protested, as though reading the priestess' mind.

"Sure." Lita said with a laugh, her own cheeks reddened slightly, gesturing to the drink in Serena's hand. "That's only your, what, third glass?"

"Fifth." Amy corrected with a slightly exasperated smile, making Serena blush guiltily. The blue-haired teen turned back over to the love couch that Mina was seated on, flanked on all sides by assorted admirers and friends. "Well, it looks like this party is a success."

"I'll say." Raye said, nodding her head in satisfaction. "Looks like everyone's having a good time."

"Sure." Serena managed to cover rolling her eyes by tossing her drink down. _Almost_ everyone.

* * *

"Don't you look like a happy camper." Darien said in a sickeningly sweet tone as he approached Keith. His friend of over a decade shot him a glare.

"Can you believe this bull?" Keith demanded, waving a hand expressively to the 'love couch,' as people had been referring to it as. Mina was currently laughing at something at Admirer #1 was saying while touching Admirer #2's shoulder.

"Yeah." Darien said, bracing himself and cursing once again the day he agreed to Serena's psychotic plans. _If some celestial being is listening, please don't let him kill me for what I'm about to do._

"Gotta say," Darien went on, as Admirer #3 touched Mina's fair hair, eliciting a growl from the man next to him. "She really is a knock-out."

A silence followed the comment before Darien watched Keith out of his peripheral vision turn his head slowly at Darien. If the glare Keith was giving Mina's admirers was cold, Darien could've sworn he suddenly caught frostbite. It took all the self-control he had to restrain from cowering at Keith's feet.

"I guess we should've seen it coming," Darien went on, trying very hard to ignore the can in Keith's hand that was suddenly crushed into bent metal. "She's had that figure in the making since freshman yea-_ow_!"

Darien's eyes went wide as his best friend since before puberty suddenly grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and slammed him to the nearest wall.

"_What_," Keith's voice was dangerously low as Darien went cross-eyed at the close proximity between him and Keith. "What did you just say?"

"E-Easy buddy." Darien said, trying to placate his friend. "I mean, I'm sure even you've noticed it too by now."

"Noticed what?" Keith, feeling an intense swell of protectiveness in regard to Mina that had always been in place since they were children. Darien decided to change tactics, grabbing Keith's grip on him and forcefully prying Keith's hands off his clothes.

"C'mon, Keith." He chastised. "It's not like either of us are blind. Look at her. Seriously, look _at her_." Darien ordered, waving a hand towards Mina. "Keith, she's eighteen now and, even though you've known her longer than I have, even you've got to admit she's looking good now.

"So chill out, man." Darien continued, allowing the information to sink in for his oblivious friend. "She's a big girl. She can handle herself."

**

* * *

The Laundry Room…**

"You're ruining everything!" Keith's stance over the doorway of the cramped laundry room didn't budge at Mina's glowering pout. She swatted uselessly against his crossed arms. "Keith, I'm serious!"

"And I am too." He shot back, not wavering the slightest bit. Mina brought a hand up to her hair to grab at her head in frustration but restrained herself from displacing the hairdo Serena and Raye had spent half an hour on.

"_Keith_…" Mina whined. "It's my birthday." She gestured to the door and what lay beyond it. "I've got guests to see-"

"You mean boys to flirt with?" Keith challenged.

Mina gave him a cool glare through narrowed slits. "What I do with the guys I know is none of your business and-"

"Until your parents come back into town," Keith interrupted solidly. "It is my business. It's also my business to tell you that you are acting ridiculously immature-"

"_I'm_ immature?" Mina demanded incredulously. "You practically haul me over your damn shoulder while I'm in the middle of a conversation-"

"You don't need to be two inches to another person to hold a conversation." Keith interjected.

Mina glared and pushed on, "And now you've got us locked up in my laundry room for the love of-"

"I'd rather have you confined here than out there with hormone-crazed drunk idiots that only want-"

"And I would rather be out there with hormone-crazed drunk idiots than a sober idiot that has a mind-frame of an old fart!"

**

* * *

Outside the Laundry Room…**

"Well, this is going well." Darien muttered. Serena giggled against his chest.

"I know." She laughed softly. "Isn't it great?"

"Tyler, they're arguing." Darien said, pushing himself off the door and amazed that he could still hear the yelling going on inside. "Again."

"Shush!" Serena demanded. "I can't hear them."

"I can't see how." Darien rolled his eyes and rubbed his temples. "They're so loud I'm surprised the entire party hasn't stormed down here."

"Hah." Serena scoffed. "As if anyone would be brave enough to deal with Keith's rage."

Hmm. The brat had a point…unfortunately. Darien sighed, casting a wayward glance as Serena pressed herself against the door with a wicked smile on her face before shaking his head. Oh, if Luna could see him now.

* * *

Keith's eyes grew wide and he started shaking his head fiercely. "Oh God no. No."

"Shut up." Mina sniffled, glaring at Keith. "This is your fault anyway."

"Fine." Keith retorted desperately. "But you don't have to start crying!"

"I can't help it." She shot back. "You're being deliberately horrible right now and there's nothing else I can do since you're not making any effort to understand."

"Mina, I hear you-"

"Yeah, right." Mina mocked, swiping away the tears from her cheeks. Making her cry two days in a row. That had to be a new record. "That's your problem, Keith. You hear me just fine but you never listen to a damn word I say!"

"That's not true at all."

"Bullshit." Mina hissed at him, catching the surprise in his eyes at her venomous reply when she herself was utterly shocked at her own anger. But he was just so frustrating! "You're so overbearing it's ridiculous."

Keith's mouth curved into a grimace and he straightened up to defend himself. "I'm your friend, Mina. But you're my responsibility, too." He said in a hard voice. "Your parents trusted me with you and I'm doing what I have to do to make sure you stay out of trouble."

"Well, that's great and dandy, but I'm not a kid anymore." Mina bit back. She seated herself on the ground and crossed her arms defiantly, muttering, "So sorry to have been such a burden on you."

Keith frowned at the sarcasm that spewed forth from her. This wasn't the Mina he knew and loved. Then again, he wasn't exactly being the greatest friend to her either. He sighed as Mina hiccupped, choosing to retreat into silence than have to deal with Keith's unrelenting stand.

"Mina, please." He sighed, pushing his hair out of his face. "I'm sorry if I've been treating you unfairly recently-" Here, Mina snorted loudly. "But you've got to understand where I'm coming from. Your parents are counting on me to take care of you and I'm just trying to do that."

"Fine." Mina said softly, wringing the material of her dress between her hands. "But you don't have to be such a jerk about it. I'm not an idiot, you know."

"Of course you're not an idiot." Keith said expressively. "I know you're a perfectly capable and intelligent person."

Mina looked up at him hopefully at the compliment. "Then why have you been like this recently? I get that you're supposed to be watching out for me, but it'd be nice if you stopped being my guardian and acted like my friend every once in a while."

Keith grinned and squatted down to his knees to look at Mina at eye-level. "Just because I trust you, doesn't mean that I trust the rest of the world." He said, reaching over and taking her hand in his while cupping her face into his other hand tenderly. "I just want to keep you safe. Not just for your parents," He added quickly, seeing her opening her mouth to protest. "But because I care for you a lot." His grinned widened and he pressed his forehead against Mina's, unaware of the heart-attack he was practically giving her at that moment of contact. "You're special to me, Mina. You know that don't you?"

No, she didn't. Well, actually, she did know. It's just that it was very hard to think clearly when the single, solitary object of affection was within such close (oh so close) proximity to you. Mina licked her lips in a futile effort to regain her speech

…when the door suddenly flew open.

"…Well then." Serena said jovially, glancing down at the couple on the ground leaning on each other intimately. "Glad to see you aren't fighting…or doing anything inappropriate."

Serena proceeded to laugh boisterously as Mina and Keith reddened at the insinuation. Darien wisely chose not say anything as Serena grabbed Mina and hauled her to her feet, completely dispelling whatever moment was being had between the couple.

"We've been looking for you, birthday girl." Serena said happily.

"You were?" Mina quirked an eyebrow at her breath. It was surprising that Serena could get happier than she usually was but alcohol could work wonders on anyone.

"Of course." Darien put in. "We can't cut the cake if the birthday girl isn't around to blow out the candles."

And with that, Serena whisked off Mina to the living room, where her presence was cheered on by the guests. Serena happily led her through the darkened room to the glowing birthday cake while Keith and Darien followed at a slower pace.

"Glad to see you two are on better terms." Keith shot Darien a look at the innuendo.

"Knock it off, Dare." Keith ordered, glancing at Mina on the other side of the room. "You know me and Mina better than that."

"Of course."

"Then you should cut it out."

"Cut what out?" Darien said innocently.

"That tone of yours is bothering me."

Darien chuckled, giving up at the warning in Keith's voice. "Chill out, Keith." The crowd began to sing happy birthday to Mina and Darien leaned over so Keith could hear him. "I'm just saying, man. I'm not blind and neither are any of the guys in this room." He said, smiling. "Including you."

Keith chose not to reply, instead looking over at Mina as the song finished. She laughed happily into the crowd and her eyes unexpectedly met his. A warm smile washed over her glowing face and Keith could feel an identical one spreading over his own, accompanied by a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't a fool to misinterpret Darien's insinuation but he also knew better.

"I don't know what you're trying to plan," Keith said as Mina blew out her candles. "But she's too young."

"Not so young to underestimate her own feelings."

"Right." Keith snorted, making Darien feel oddly annoyed by his brush-off. "She may be eighteen, Darien, but she's still too young."

Darien was silent for a moment before shaking his head. "Good point." Darien murmured sarcastically. "Too bad she's not the one that needs to grow up."

* * *

A/N: **ducks in shame** Okay, I admit. It's not my best work but I've been bum rushed by so many ideas and events in the past couple of weeks. I will try my utmost best to update when I can and I apologize for the ridiculously long wait. MAMC will be updated within the next week or so. Give me time and encouragement. It's on its way!

Read and REVIEW!

**

* * *

Oh yeah... **

"Holy mother…" Lita smirked self-satisfied at Nevan's amazed expression. His car gleamed with a beautiful new paint job as the light reflecting off the rims that practically winked at him. You never would've guessed that the car was originally a practical junk pile when it first came in.

"Not too bad for a girl, right?" She jeered playfully. Nevan looked up at her with admiration in his eyes.

"Kingston," He said. "I don't know how you did it, but you are worth every penny."

"Way to make me sound like a prostitute." Lita chided but beamed with praise regardless.

Nevan laughed loudly before going back to his car. He really couldn't believe it.

"Would you like me to give you two some alone time?" Lita asked teasingly. Nevan raised his eyes and shook his head with a smile.

"I am honestly in shock, Lita. You've performed a damn miracle."

She shrugged mockingly. "I know."

"Seriously." Nevan insisted. "I don't know how to thank you."

Lita shook her head. "It's fine."

"No, it isn't." Nevan went on. "Hey, let me take you out or something."

"More Taco Bell?"

"No, no." Nevan said. "I know this place about two miles from here. I could get us a reservation and-"

Lita smiled wistfully. If only, "No, sorry man." She said, taking a few steps back from him. "It's been amusing but there's only so much association with clients permitted."

Nevan gave a hopeful smile. "Then I guess it's a good thing I'm no longer a client."

"It might be a good thing," Lita admitted. "If it didn't sound so much like a date."

"And if it is?"

Lita paused before chuckling and shaking her head. "No offense, Procella." She said. "But you're not exactly my type."

Nevan didn't know why, but this severely bothered him. He tried to keep the disappointment from his expression but idly wondered if he was doing a good job of it.

Up the street from the garage, Darien and Serena were arguing...again.

"There has to be a better way." Darien said.

"There isn't." Serena insisted, then considered the thought. "Well, at least none that come to mind immediately."

"This is ridiculous." Darien declared. "You're planning to bring them together using _that_?"

"It's a slingshot you prick."

"It's a y-shaped piece of wood with rubber strung through it."

"It's a weapon."

"It's a _toy_."

"Well, this toy managed to knock you good for five solid minutes."

Darien glared. "You say it with such pride."

Serena shrugged. "It gave us enough time to draw on your face and take pictures."

Darien opened his mouth to say something when he saw Nevan's car backing out of the garage. "Crap!" Serena spun around to see him moving away. "Tyler hurry!"

Serena bit her lip, grabbing her weapon and finding a rock to settle in the band, closing an eye and taking aim. Nevan was backing out slowly, an arm out the driver's window sadly waving at Lita's lone figure.

"Serena what are you waiting for?" Darien demanded. Nevan would continue to back out and within ten seconds, he'd be entering traffic with no more excuses to return to see Lita.

Ten...Nine...

"Tyler!"

"Chill out." Serena gritted calmly, her eye focusing on something other than Nevan's car.

Eight...Seven...Six...

"What the hell are you waiting for?"

Five...Four...

"The right opportunity."

Three...

"And when will that be?"

Two...

Serena smirked. "Right now."

One...

The rock _zinged_ through the air, crashing through the window of, not Nevan's car, but that of a huge Coca-Cola truck, causing its driver, a thirty-odd male named Frank, to swerve and scrape the shiny-looking car along its side and back that was caught extremely unawares...

Darien stared. "You...you did it." He said it like he just saw a purple bunny flying.

Serena smiled widely. "I know."

"You just endangered the lives of one of my best friends."

"And ensured his continued collaboration with one of mine."

"...That was extremely illegal." Serena didn't reply and Darien saw that she was already on his motorcycle, anxious to leave the scene of the crime with a huge grin on her face.

* * *

**A/N **(part 2): um...Review?

**edited: 6/19/07**

**edited: 8/17/09**

**edited: 10/24/09  
**


	8. AN note

Okay then…as horribly immature as this is going to sound to everyone reading, here it goes.

I'm currently in college now. This April will mark the one year's passage since I have accomplished anything on Cupid's Last. Believe me when I say that this was not something I wanted to do. Reading emails and replies about my work has really depressed me as of late at how bad I've been about updating. I never wanted to become one of those 'hiatus authors' and I personally feel that I've disappointed myself just as much as my readers. You will find it surprising but I do have chapters laid out or at least part of all of them and all I really need to do is fix and finish them and post them for the world to see. I know someone is reading this and this is my small egocentric call for attention because, while I will finish these stories soon, I want to here from you, my reader, that there is something here that you want me to finish. So, let me know. Tell me you want an ending and it'll probably spur my creative juices to start flowing again.

-chickay


	9. Novermber I: Of Stories and Suspicions

**Cupid's Last**

**Of Stories and Suspicions**

**November.I

* * *

**

It was when the crows scattered from his feet that Old Man Hino knew that his sweet (hell-raising), kind (slightly abusive), and most of all gentle (...) granddaughter was afoot. Sure enough, within seconds, Raye Harrington came around the side of the building with a broom, her chosen weapon of combat, in her hand and a hellfire determination encasing her aura. When she narrowed her mother's violet eyes in her grandfather's direction, Ryu Hino could've sworn that somewhere on the spiritual plane, whatever guardians he had were just singed to death.

He smiled. Raye scowled.

_**"Where. is. he?"**_ She hissed, approaching him.

"Well, hello to you too, my darling granddaughter." Ryu called out jovially with a spastic wave of his arm. He wiggled his eyebrows conspiratorially. "Hehehe. Looking for your darling lover boy, eh eh??"

A harisen magically appeared in his lovely granddaughter's hand and promptly proceeded to reduce his brain cell population.

"Honestly gramps," Raye Harrington said exasperatedly as the old man rubbed the sore spot on his balding head. "Quit that dumb joke. It's disgusting."

"Hehehe." Ryu laughed. "I can't help it Raye." He mock-complained. "After seeing you two in the bath-tub together the other day, I just figured perhaps you both had come right out and admitted your dying attraction to each other. Hehehehe_OWWW_!!"

Ryu was still laughing despite Raye's inflictions as her face turned beet red at the 'incident' a few days ago when Jason 'accidentally' fell into the window of the bathhouse...where Raye was conveniently enjoying a previously relaxing bath.

"That was humiliating Gramps!!" Raye declared at the man who swung the door open just after Jason fell into the tub with her, yelling something about people finally leaving the temple.

"Calm down Raye!" Ryu insisted, still smiling.

"No!" Yelled Raye. "He's an absolute nuisance to this place! No discipline! Always running his mouth and all he does is check out every girl that comes to the temple."

"Hmm." Ryu stroked his little beard thoughtfully then suddenly shrugged. "Well, it's always worked well for me, hehehe ok ok!!" He shouted with a laugh as Raye raised the harisen once more.

"Ugh." Raye rolled her eyes, trying so hard to remember that she loved this man. "Grandpa, just tell me where the idiot is so I can beat him up instead of you. The pipes in the basement need to be checked on."

"Haha. I'm sure he's off somewhere avoiding you." Ryu remarked before tossing back seeds to the crows that had returned to his feet. Raye glowered but stopped short as she saw her grandfather's calming disposition. He closed his eyes before casting them to the sky. "He's not so bad, you know." He said suddenly to Raye, not looking directly at her.

Raye scoffed. "Somehow, I sincerely doubt that."

Ryu chuckled in that old grandfatherly way that reminded Raye that he was, indeed, the kind and understanding man that raised her with his own two hands. "Don't be so quick to judge, Raye," He admonished lightly with a small smile on his wrinkled features. "There's a lot more to him than meets the eye."

Raye couldn't help herself. She smirked. "Like what?"

Her grandfather paused, eyes gazing beyond the blue November sky that descended upon them. He turned to his granddaughter, an enigmatic smile on his face. "You'll see soon enough."

Raye frowned in confusion as, with another smile and a pat on her hand, Ryu turned to leave, heading back towards his room. "He's at the front of the temple." He called out behind him. "Jason, I mean. I asked him to trim some of the trees at the entrance that I couldn't reach."

Raye's eyes immediately softened. "Grandpa! You know we hired him so that you wouldn't have to do any of the work that strains you."

"Haha. I know." Ryu said in reply, waving off her concern. "But I'll be fine. If you want to see him, he should be at the front." He called out just before turning the corner of the patio.

Raye stood there for a while, contemplating her grandfather's words before she went off to the front of the temple, a bit of her fiery anger dissipating slightly…

"OW!"

…that is, until she turned a corner, slammed into Jason Exuro, making him promptly drop his hedge-trimmer on her toes.

* * *

"**You jackass!!**"

* * *

The accusation hit Jason from two different directions and yet both had that same, screeching sound quality that haunted his dreams…and apparently his waking hours as well. A hand came down on his shoulder and made him do an about-face, making him come face-to-face with a pair of glinting hazel eyes that bore through his very soul. "Where the hell do you think you're going!!?" The young woman with red hair screamed into his face. "I wasn't finished."

"All the more reason for me to walk away." Raye looked up from rubbing her foot at the icy sneer she almost couldn't believe was coming out to his mouth. She caught sight of his profile from her point of view. Baby blue eyes that she often saw ogling the young women that came to the temple had hardened to steel as they bore themselves against the woman in front of him. Jason's face had grown taut in barely-repressed annoyance and…was that anger Raye saw? The air crackled with tension ready to pop as Jason continued, voice laced with resentment, "You ought to recognize the gesture, right Anne?" Nope, Raye wasn't mistaken. Jason Exuro, handyman extraordinaire, was pissed.

The woman named Anne blushed a red that matched her hair and pursed her lips together before saying, hesitatingly, "Jase-"

"Get out of here, Anne." Jason said, disgust uncontained as he visibly sneered down at the woman. "I don't want to have anything to do with you, least of all the rest of the assholes you're reminding me of, so get the fuck out of here."

Raye's eyes widened as her mouth visibly opened, agape at the cursing that Jason had not exerted since his arrival at the temple, let alone the intensity that he said it with against the stranger. Anne, the woman Jason was speaking so harshly to, apparently shared her feelings, raising her hurt eyes to him…and then to beyond him – at Raye. Almost immediately, Raye felt herself stiffen as she saw the suspicion aimed at her until Jason's back came into her view. Raye blinked. Jason had just moved to cover her from Anne's gaze. For what reason, she didn't know, but it gave her the oddest sensation of being…protected?

"I said get out of here Anne." Jason was repeating now, shoulders tight. "I don't want to have anything to do with you and you can report that to _them_ verbatim, too." With that, he did a turnabout, his back to Anne and faced Raye squarely. Raye wondered haphazardly if this man was the same idiot who her grandfather hired months ago. His face was the same in some aspects, but his eyes were harder than the happy azure ones that appraised beautiful female bodies, his posture was like that of a soldier from battle than the laid-back style of the stumbling moron she chased after with a broom regularly. Her eyes met his before a beat passed, and they continued to hold each other's gaze even as Anne's voice carried,

"I'll leave now, Jason." She said in a manner that made Raye think she was crying. "I'm sorry for everything." She paused. "I hope you'll believe me one day...even if you don't forgive me."

Raye felt hypnotized in place as a pair of arms encircled Jason's waist from behind him. She would later realize dumbly that Anne was hugging him even as Jason stood in place, his form as rigid as she'd ever seen. At the moment it happened, though, Raye didn't process the action as much as the details of the moment: Like how a flash of pain so intense flashed across Jason's face in that passing moment that Anne's arms tried to pull her closer to him, like the sun's rays flashing prisms of light his and Raye's faces from the ring that sparkled on Anne's left ring finger…And how one of Jason's hands hovered over one of hers on his chest before she abruptly pulled away just before he could touch her, his hand just catching the imprint left on his shirt by her fingers as she walked back to the chauffeured car at the foot of the temple…

…Yet…his gaze never left hers.

* * *

"Anne and I dated for four years." Jason suddenly said, never missing a beat as he grabbed another wrench and went back to the pipes at hand. If he saw the shocked expression on Raye's face, he didn't show it, instead going on with his story, "I'm twenty-two, in case you forgot." He chirped matter-of-factly.

Raye's eyes widened against for probably the tenth time today, this time at the fact that his man wasn't as great of a womanizer or asshole as she had perceived. Between the completely new and strange side of Jason she witnessed only half an hour ago and now in the basement of the temple in the presence of some very rusty pipes as Jason unfurled his story to Raye for some god-forsaken reason, all Raye could think about were her grandfather's words: _"There's a lot more to him than meets the eye."_ How strange to think that he had only uttered those words mere minutes before Jason proved them true. Raye's eyes narrowed. Strangely coincidental _indeed_…

"…boring you that much, huh?" Raye snapped up at Jason's teasing voice. His face was back to that joviality that rivaled her grandfather's, even if his eyes were struggling to catch up.

"Uh, no!" Raye quickly protested, realizing with a degree of shame that she had just been diving into her own thoughts as Jason was opening himself to her for the first time since he was hired in July. He only smiled a small smile that didn't quite reach past his cheeks and Raye felt compelled to defend herself. "I'm sorry. I was just lost in my thoughts for a moment."

Jason laughed a little. "It's fine." He shrugged exaggeratedly. "I'm just trying to share a bit of my life with someone who's passed a bad judgment on me just because she doesn't know me very well." He smirked jokingly. "That's all."

Raye narrowed her eyes at the sarcasm but couldn't help smiling either. "My judgment on you isn't _that_ bad."

"Oh, really?" Jason said in mock-shock. "So you always refer to people you like as 'asinine perverts?'" He said the words with meticulous accuracy. "Man, I'd hate to hear what you say about people you _don't_ like."

Raye's jaw dropped as she pointed an accusing finger at him. "You were eavesdropping!"

"It's not really eavesdropping," Jason said wryly, turning his wrench once more. "If you're proclaiming it loudly and angrily to the world." Raye winced with slight embarrassment and Jason only laughed again, a happy sound that she wouldn't have been able to easily associate with the angry man that stood at the front of the temple earlier.

"It's fine," He assured her with a lopsided grin. "My reports on you haven't been very positive either, which," He hastened to add, wondering how she managed to hide that broom on her person or if she always had them strategically located throughout the temple just in case she needed to bash someone. "Is why one of my friends suggested that I try talking to you instead of running away from you."

"Smart friend." Raye muttered and Jason beamed.

"Yeah, he is." He agreed with a snicker. "Even if he hasn't gotten laid in a while."

Raye scoffed in slight disgust and threw a rag at his face to emphasize her feelings. "Your maturity never ceases to amaze me." She declared scornfully.

"Thanks." He quipped. "I figure if I keep it up, I'll still be cracking fart jokes like your gramps at his age."

Raye shuddered as she sat at the steps of the basement and propped an elbow at her knee and cupped her face in her hand. "I'm going to pretend that you didn't just say that and just ask you to continue your story."

"What is it about girls and their need for drama?"

"Other people's dramas make ours seem more tolerable." Raye stated bluntly. "And as riveting as the prospect of hearing your fart jokes is, I'd prefer an explanation of what just took place." Jason laughed and Raye prodded him, "What happened between you and Anne?"

Jason stopped laughing and Raye watched as the tension crept back to his shoulders at the mention of her name. "Well," He began tentatively, "A while ago, I finally got it into my head that, after years of dating and caring for another person, why shouldn't I propose?"

"…"

* * *

Outside, crows scattered to the four winds as a shrieking, "WHAT??" emanated from the depths of the temple basement. Serena smiled and accepted the offered sandwich Darien held out for her as she crouched by a small basement window at the side of the temple that was propped open, allowing her and her partner in matchmaking to listen in to the exchange between the only undeveloped couple, which was actually developing quite nicely now.

"Talking instead of running away." Serena smiled.

Darien smirked

"Nice advice."

"I try."

"It worked." She grinned wickedly suddenly. "Now about this lack of getting laid trait of yours…"

* * *

Jason thought he heard someone shriek somewhere on the outside, but it might've been just an echo from Raye's outburst. The girl was still sitting there, mouth wide open in shock, violet eyes a big as saucers.

"Do I _really_ not look like the settling-down type?" He asked.

"_NO_!" Was the reply at burst from Raye's mouth.

"Your confidence in my skills as a spouse is overwhelming." He said dryly at her, showing that the insult wasn't as hurtful as his words may have implied. "And, for your information, she said yes, _naturally_." Jason said flippantly, continuing as though this wasn't the greatest revelation that Raye had ever come across. He shifted his position and Raye caught sight of the face, a faraway smile loaded with nostalgia on his face. She suddenly thought of Anne and the way the air had crackled in the exchange she had managed to witness. She wondered how long Jason and Anne were arguing as Raye and her grandfather were discussing their live-in handyman. Her eyes narrowed again in thought…_"You'll see soon enough."_ What…?

"She was wearing a ring." Raye found herself blurting randomly, away from her own train of thought abruptly. Jason had turned around to face her, surprised.

"I didn't think you had noticed it."

Raye nodded that she, had, in fact noticed it. Her eyes softened a little before her head titled one way as she peered at him. "It's not the one you gave her, is it?"

Jason's eyebrows lifted in shock, his lips turned up in amusement. "And how would you figure that?"

"Well," Raye said thoughtfully and slowly. "For one thing, you guys definitely don't look like you're together anymore," Jason snorted that the fact was pretty obvious. "And…it wasn't your style."

"My style?"

"The ring." Raye prompted. "It was too gaudy. A minimalist guy like you wouldn't have gotten something so extravagant."

"That's a pretty presumptuous declaration coming from a girl who's screamed nothing but obscenities at me for the last months." Jason smirked and Raye had the decency to blush a little.

"Touché." She acquiesced. "But you haven't corrected me, have you?" Raye pointed out.

Jason nodded, and then turned his gaze to the rest of the pipes and a couple of gauges, eyes looking for anything wrong. "True." He said finally, turning back to look at her and leaning against the wall behind him. "She took off my ring right when she put on someone else's."

There was another pause in the conversation before Raye mustered up the courage to ask, "…Who's is it?"

"My brother's." He caught the look on her face and grinned in a valiant attempt to not seem bitter. "Enough drama to make your life look better yet?"

* * *

Darien leaned back on the wall as he listened in on the conversation, pride welling up in him at how Jason was recounting the situation that occurred months ago that had brought his blonde friend so much trouble and pain.

"…He's come a long way." He turned to the source of the whispered statement and found Serena smiling with the same amount of pride he felt towards his best friend. He nodded, thinking of the vision of drunkenness that was Jason who Nevan and Keith had hauled into his apartment months ago...and remembering that it was Serena who stood in his doorway, Zeke's arm around her shoulder as she watched Nev and Keith lay Jason's hammered body on Darien's couch, eyes red-rimmed, biting her bottom lip in an effort to not cry in their presence…

Then he found himself thinking of all of his friends, and realized, then said aloud,

"We all have."

* * *

"…Life got really shitty afterwards." Jason went on, surprising himself by how much he was sharing with the girl beside him. He had moved from the pipes to her side, realizing that this was the closest he had ever gotten to her without her trashing his brain. It made him smile a little. "I went through all the fun stages of grief even though no one had died; only walked away from me hand-in-hand with my brother Alan. No one else seemed to mind, though." He added as an afterthought. Raye looked at him like he was crazy.

"No one minded that your brother had stolen your fiancé?"

Jason shook his head. "Aside from me and my friends, who were obviously biased, no one saw anything wrong with it. Our families didn't see the problem with things since it was still an Exuro-Trenton wedding, even if the groom had been changed."

Raye didn't bite back her repulsion. "That's disgusting."

He shrugged, his nonchalance, like his flippant attitude, not quite reaching his eyes. "It was business. Of course," He went on, a slight grimace forming on his features. "The aftermath wasn't very pretty. I got-" He suddenly laughed. "In the words of my friend's aunt, 'disgracefully bloody drunk,'" He continued in a British accent, making Raye raise her eyebrow and smile nonetheless. "And then I went on one of those sprees that just basically ask for you to get kicked out on the streets. So, my family finally did, kick me out, I mean," He clarified. "And, now, four months later, I'm here, with you, in a basement with a lot of leaky pipes that I just fixed, telling you my life story."

He smiled at the end of it as he watched her take things in, as the facts arranged themselves in her pretty little head. With a grin he leaned in and she turned to look at him, still dazed.

"Guess you'll think twice before smacking me next time, huh?" He teased. As if by reflex, Raye raised a hand, ready to strike, but found herself suddenly holding back, surprising herself but obviously not Jason, who stared forward at her with a knowing smile that made her…

**SNAP. SNAP.**

Jason blinked. Raye blinked. Two pairs of eyes looked up the stairs just in time to see Old Man Hino in all his glory, tapping at a digital camera in his hands as he reviewed the new pictures he had just taken. His wrinkled mouth turned into a wide, semi-evil grin.

"How cute!" He guffawed. "Something to share with the great-grandkids!! HAHAHAHAH-"

"Old man…" Jason began warningly, hearing a growling noise somewhere next to him. He had a feeling it was Raye, despite, or maybe _because of_ the ferocity of the sound.

"-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-"

"…RUN!!!!" With a cloud of dust behind him, Ryu Hino took off, just in time for his red-faced granddaughter to come bounding up the basement stairs, still laughing his crazy little head off as she chased him around the temple in a blind rage.

* * *

Laughter and shrieks entwined together at the temple above that made Serena and Darien turn from their positions on the steps that led up to it.

"Well," Serena said happily. "I believe our work here is done." She cast a glance at Darien. "Although, I'm still in shock that Jason was that willing to tell things to a complete stranger-"

"Albeit the one he's been living with for the past couple of months?" Darien retorted. He then smiled and shrugged, holding out a helmet for Serena to take. "It's a therapeutic thing."

Serena looked at him dumbly. "Say what?"

Darien grinned and hopped on his motorcycle, parked at the bottom of the steps. "Sometimes," He explained. "It's easier to let things out to someone who's a stranger to you, who's just willing to listen instead of talking back to, or talking with." He paused, eyes thoughtful. "It's like therapy." Darien suddenly smirked. "Although, I'm sure it helped that his therapist was Raye."

"Bleh." Darien laughed at the face Serena made as she adjusted the helmet. "Sounds like something straight out of one of his fantasies."

Darien laughed uproariously and threw up the kickstand with his foot, revving the engine to life.

Jason laughed as he emerged from the basement, watching the two run around the front of the temple. His tentative smile faded, however, as his eyes settled on a familiar motorcycle that was revving up at the foot of the temple. Jason's memory recalled that not only had he seen that bike before several times in fact, but also that it had been parked at the front of the temple at the same time Anne's chauffeured car was. Baby blue eyes narrowed in definite suspicion as a pair of blonde pigtails blew in the wind like a tell-tale flag from back of the motorcycle owned by his best friend that had encouraged him to share his life with Raye Harrington in the first place…

"…the hell?

**

* * *

chickay:** Whew! Would you believe that I had part of this story written up from like six months ago? Seriously, no lie. I get like small bits and pieces of the scenes I want to write and then...it takes about another four months at least for me to figure out how the hell it fits into the story. but FEAR NOT, my dear readers, with your support, and my new living space (I've had to move to the middle of nowhere) I will be shipping out a new chapter of CL and probably MAMC soon...that is, if I can ever get _some_one to hook up their computer so I can get out Chapter 23 of MAMC out of their harddrive and finish it. ::twitch::

**posted: 6/19/07**

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!!

**edited: 8/17/09**

**edited: 10/24/09  
**


	10. November II: Such a Pretty Mess

**Cupid's Last**

**Such a Pretty Mess**

**November. II

* * *

**

"And this one?"

"Goes here." Amy frowned, slightly confused.

"But what about _that_ one?"

"It goes with the rest of them." Zeke waved off in a general direction that might have extended to Tibet for all she knew.

"The rest of _what_?"

"The things that I showed you earlier, don't you remember?"

"Oh for the love of- Zeke!" Amy threw up her hands in frustration, causing about dozen papers to come flying down on them.

"Why'd you do that for?" Zeke demanded, looking down at the pile of charts and graphs cascading to the floor. "I hope you realize you're cleaning up this mess."

"_This_ mess?" Amy questioned incredulously. She gestured to Zeke's entire station that made her paper clump on the floor look like stepped-on anthill by comparison. There were two "IN" boxes yet no "OUT" box in sight, at least ten different binders in several stages of disarray and damage, and a sea -no- an _ocean_ of paper that would've had the fairies of Fern Gully and Pocahontas in a rage. "Zeke, I say this with all the affection this budding friendship can afford us, but why on earth do they let you keep working here?"

"Because I'm devastatingly handsome." He replied matter-of-factly. This lovely comment was, of course, accompanied with a lovely flick of his auburn gold ponytail over his shoulder.

Amy stared at him, largely in horror at realizing this fabulous man with an IQ that would've given her a run for her money was just about as egotistical as she had established at their first meeting. Granted now, weeks after he'd brought her back [in an almost romantic gesture], they were getting along well, but Amy was slowly resigning herself to the idea that Ezekiel Niveus really _was_ an ego-maniacal slob. Of course, he could afford vain comments like that because, let's face it, the man was prettier than she was, "But that doesn't mean you should leave your workstation looking like this. How am I supposed to find the results charts from the fifth?"

Zeke then stuck his slender hand into the endless abyss of data and, after tossing something that might have been edible sometime last week, pulled out a packet and plopped it into her outreached hands. "Ta-da." He said with a mock flourish before leaning back and laughing at her with those gorgeous green eyes. "No, Amy, you aren't seeing things. I really am this amazing."

"..." Her eye actually twitched! "Remind me again why I'm back here after you essentially verbally and emotionally abused me?"

"I regaled you with my apology and a bouquet of roses." Zeke replied with an indulgent smile. "And my presence, of course."

"I can't believe you spend most of your time admiring your own reflection and still manage to get more work down than me." Amy muttered.

"Like I said," Zeke shrugged. "I'm amazing. And I'm pretty good at time management too."

Amy stared at him for a moment before just shaking her head with a grudging smile. "Whatever works for you, your awesomeness." She rolled her eyes. "Just find me the rest of last week's results in that black hole you call a desk and we'll be fine."

"Yes your highness." He saluted her back as she walked off. As Zeke turned back to his desk (which really wasn't as bad as Amy was making it out to be) he mused over how, he hadn't thought it was possible but, that girl wasn't half-bad. After their slightly rocky start and subsequent 'reconciliation' (he could've sworn his foot actually itched to run away at the very sight of her to this day), he found himself enjoying Amy's presence in the lab. Granted, she still had a couple of klutz habits to get a hold of but he'd manage to train her to breaking/dropping something important only once a week now.

Zeke hadn't exactly been a model superior to her before, but he was getting the hang of not looking down at her every time she had a question about the equipment or why something wasn't looking the way it was supposed to through the microscope. Of course, Amy was at least a foot shorter than him so it was hard not to look down at her, but she wasn't nearly at idiotic as he thought she was.

"Zeke?"

He glanced up. "Hey, doc."

Dr. Watson had long given up trying to get Ezekiel Niveus to call him anything remotely formal so he simply said, "Would you like to be my date tomorrow night?"

Up until that moment, Zeke really thought that face-vaulting was only in those mangas Jason would probably never outgrow.

"Not like that you ridiculous boy." Watson huffed, puffing up his moustache. He reached into his coat jacket, pulled out a ticket and passed it to Zeke. "Lunablanci Hospital is holding their annual gala tomorrow. I'm not a big fan of these things but an old colleague insisted I come along."

Watson watched Zeke shuffle in his seat at the prospect of socializing and decided it was time to play the trump card, "Ana and I are old friends and she's mentioned wanting to meet my student for a while now."

"Ana?" Zeke's mouth turned into a teasing smirk. "Doc, you dirty devil you."

"If I had a cane I'd whack you with it." Watson retorted before carefully phrasing his next line slowly. "Anastasia is an old and respected friend of mine and-"

There was a clatter and Watson tried to hide his amusement as Zeke leaped to his feet and grabbed Watson's arms.

"Anastasia?" Zeke demanded. "As in, Anastasia Anderson??"

"I take it you're familiar with her work." Watson drawled in the face of the fanaticism that was currently looking at him through Zeke's glasses.

"'Familiar?'" Zeke choked the word out as if Watson had asked him if he'd ever heard about the Beatles or Megan Fox and plopped back into his seat, shocked.

Dr. Anastasia Anderson was in the forefront of thoracic and cardiac surgeons in the nation. Her work with heart transplants and new research treatments were being predicted to usher in new medical legends and scientific miracles. To be in her presence…

Watson suddenly found himself being stared at by Zeke's intensely grateful eyes. "Thank you Doc. This is an amazing opportunity." He stood and grasped the older man's hands, genuinely joyful and lowered his head out of respect, saying once more, "Thank you."

Dr. Theodore Watson laughed, slightly uneasy as he said, "Oh, don't thank me, boy." _'Really. _Don't _thank me. I'm setting you up at the behest of two of your potentially psychotic friends.'_

"Oh hey," Zeke suddenly said, straightening. "Did you invite Amy to come along too?"

Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Zeke could've sworn he just saw something flash through his mentor's eyes that seemed akin to...panic? But why...

"Ah, well you see, now," Watson coughed and purposely avoiding looking straight at Zeke. "I believe she mentioned that she was busy tomorrow night."

"Busy?" Oh boy, he was getting suspicious.

"Yes, yes," Watson prodded on jovially, still not meeting his eyes. "She mentioned something about a date tomorrow night so I didn't think it'd do any good to ask her to come along." Dr. Watson lied, internally laughing at himself: over the hill and lying in an effort to match-make oblivious geniuses. Oh, what his life had come to…

Zeke frowned. "A date, huh?"

"Of course!" Watson knocked the wind out of him by slapping his back with over-enthusiasm [a Watson by-product of deception]. Serena's crooked grin suddenly occurred to him and he added, "After all, she needs to relax once in a while too."

Zeke glanced over the brunette putting in data into the computers and annotating all over her paperwork. "Yeah...I guess so..."

* * *

"You really shouldn't work outside of the lab." Darien offered that Saturday night. "Relax once in a while."

Zeke frowned at his reflection, idly wondering why the phrase seemed to be repeating itself in his life recently.

"I _am_ relaxing tonight." Zeke insisted half-heartedly, too busy with his own reflection to really pay attention to Darien's words. "Should I wear my glasses?"

"…Do we _look_ like fashion consultants to you?" Jason asked after a moment of awkwardness between men.

"Jase, I'm meeting an amazing medical icon." Zeke stated. "I need to look professional."

"Because three-piece suits don't scream 'I need a life!' loud enough do they?" Jason retorted with a smirk, eyeing Zeke's formal wear and tied back hair.

"Just wear your contacts." Darien said, recalling what Serena told him. "You always touch your glasses when you get nervous like your hand's surgically attached to them."

"No I don't." Zeke protested. Then when no one replied, he turned around and asked, "Do I?"

"Yes." Came from four different directions and Zeke grumbled, wiping of his glasses from his face and looking for his contacts.

"Is this really necessary though?" Keith asked from the sidelines. "I mean, it's not like you're going on a date or anything."

* * *

"That's not the point though!"

* * *

"Serena, calm down." Lita looked at her friend curiously. "It's a banquet. Not prom."

"But…" Serena looked pained. "In _that_?"

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Amy demanded sourly, gesturing to her outfit.

"Aside from the fact that you resemble a librarian?" Mina teased from the sidelines.

"I do not look like a librarian." Amy retorted, then spun around and stared at her high-waisted pants, and stiff collared shirt. "Do I?"

Serena shared a glance with Mina and Amy found herself being shoved behind Serena's changing screen while Serena and Raye went to ransack Serena's closet. In a matter of seconds, dozens of dresses were excavated from the fashion chasm that was Serena's walk-in closet. A red velvet gown with a plunging neckline dropped on the floor as a cotton sea foam green sundress sailed through the air and landed on Serena's bedspread. Lita caught a slinky silver cocktail dress that would've smacked her in the face but she ended up being covered underneath a handful of dresses in five different shades of pink from Serena's 'pink phase' during freshman year anyway.

"Wow, Serena," Raye murmured, touching some of the dresses. "I forgot how beautiful Trista's designs could be."

"I know." Serena smiled, rummaging through layers of sequins and satins made especially for her from her aunt. "But there's this one dress that I know would be perfect…" Her voice trailed off.

"Serena, this really isn't that big a deal." Amy insisted, poking out her head and bare shoulders from behind the screen. "And I don't know why you turned down the ticket I gave you if you were planning to make me your life-size Barbie."

"Yeah…" Lita piped up suddenly. "I thought you said you had something to do tonight that you couldn't make it to Lunablanci Hospital's banquet."

"I do." Serena insisted, not looking anyone in the eye. '_I have to go spy on Amy and Zeke tonight and make sure everything goes great_.' Her eyes suddenly lit up.

* * *

"Found it!"

* * *

"Thanks, man." Zeke said as Keith threw his previously-missing keys at him. Checking his wristwatch, he said, "Alright, I'm leaving. See you guys later."

"And try to relax while you're at it!" Nevan shouted at his retreating back and the birdie Zeke threw in before the door shut.

"Zeke hasn't relaxed since junior high." Jason laughed after a moment, and then turned to look at Darien over his cup carefully. He paused and took a moment to consider his next words, "Hey Darien," Darien acknowledged him with a nod. "Were you over at the Temple recently?"

"The one you work at?" Darien asked after furrowing his brow for a moment.

"Yeah." Jason replied, watching him closely.

"Hmm. No," Darien finally replied. "I don't think so."

"Really?" Nevan and Keith had turned to watch them now at Jason's tone. The kind a person has when they think they're being duped and not liking a moment of it. "Because I could've sworn I saw you at the temple the other day."

Darien shrugged, his face bland. "Like I said-"

"I saw your bike." Jason interjected, lightly narrowing his eyes now.

It was only a split second. But it was there.

"Jase, I'm not the only one in town with a bike." Darien reasoned, raising a laughing eyebrow.

"Yeah," Jason allowed. "But you're the only biker Serena knows."

"Serena?" Keith asked at the same time Nevan intelligently offered, "Blondie-Buns?"

A moment passed as Jason looked intently at Darien, with the dark-haired man looking back at him, passively, blankly…

"I saw your bike at the temple the other day."

"I might have passed by, maybe." Darien reasoned slowly and Jason watched. And he saw it again.

The trail of a lie.

* * *

"Are you laughing at me?"

Dr. Watson merely peered at Zeke from the corner of his eye with a smirk. "No, my boy. I'm just amused at how active your hands are tonight." He gestured to Zeke's hands that had shredded four napkins in the ten minutes they had been sitting down.

Zeke gave a half-weary smile. "I'm a little nervous." He offered honestly.

"No, really?" Dr. Watson breathed sarcastically. He chuckled. "Although it's much better than you with your glasses."

Zeke looked at him oddly before saying, "You know, my friend said the same thing today."

His mentor smiled. "He's got the right idea. Your hand really does look like it's surgically attached.

"Ah! Dr. Anderson."

The little part of Zeke that was alerted at the fact that his mentor and his best friend said the same exact sequence of words was pushed aside when he turned and saw the woman approaching their table. She was actually shorter than most women, of slight frame, but the way she held herself with such elegance and grace gave her the air of a woman large and in charge. Dr. Anastasia Anderson was turning this way and that, greeting friends and colleagues with a serene smile and a joyful laugh. Zeke should've been ecstatic (albeit insanely nervous) to meet such an amazing woman since he'd learned so much about her achievements since he was in high school. He should've been wondering what to ask her first, about her most recent research article or how she planned to run the new cardiology unit at Lunablanci.

And yet…

His eyes ended up straying to just above Dr. Anderson's chiffon-clad shoulder to something else…

A back. An essentially bare back the color of ivory with a figure that Ezekiel Niveus, for some God-forsaken reason, found so damned sensual; heightened by the trailing tails of a silky navy bow tied at the nape of the woman's neck…

"Mr. Niveus," Zeke startled himself out of his reverie and turned to Dr. Watson, who was gesturing to Dr. Anderson at his side. The woman, looking nowhere near her true age, smiled up at him. "Ana, this is my student, Ezekiel Niveus."

"Just Zeke is fine." He replied, holding out a hand, somehow forgetting the fact that this was the woman he had been so bent out of shape on meeting. As Dr. Anderson took his hand in reply, Zeke got the time to pay attention to the older woman's features. And as he took in the familiar bone structure of his idol, he began to notice how the slope of her nose and even the curvature of her lips reminded him of…

"…wonderful to meet you, Mr. Niveus." Dr. Anderson said, breaking his train of disturbing thoughts. "Teddy has told me wonderful things about your research and how much you've been a help to him since he's become old and crotchety."

Zeke's lips quirked. "'Teddy?'" Dr. Watson blushed.

"Now Ana-"

"Mr. Niveus," Dr. Anderson said fluidly. "After you remove two clots from, and suture your mentor's chest, you're essentially entitled to call him whatever you wish."

"She got the nickname from my wife." 'Teddy' grumbled and reached out to take one of Ana's hands. "Sophia says she's sorry she couldn't make it tonight, but she hopes that this one," He gestured archly to Zeke, "Can make up for her absence."

Dr. Anderson laughed. "Well, if he can't, I'm sure my date can compensate."

"Date?" Zeke repeated. Did she mean her husband? No, her hands were ring-free. But there was no man escorting her so...

"Yes." Dr. Anderson beamed with pride, "My daughter."

"Daughter?" Zeke repeated dumbly.

"Yes, she's actually graduating this year and she's been telling me how great it's been working alongside Dr. Watson as well." A slither of dread that had been lying underneath Zeke's skin was starting to creep a little more and ultimately manifested itself into Zeke's reality when Dr. Anderson gestured to someone behind her. Well, more of a some_thing_…a back.

_The_ back; the beautiful ivory back that had caught his attention was turning around now and showing a petite figure in a high-halter silky navy dress, the hem of its skirt pooling at her feet from the two thigh-high slits.

"Mr. Niveus, this is my daughter, Amy - Oh!" Ana Anderson suddenly laughed and, in the process, missed the surprised expressions of recognition that passed right over her pretty head. "What am I saying; you two are already good friends aren't you?"

Zeke wasn't sure how to reply to that. He and Amy were friends of sorts nowadays, but he had no idea who this woman standing in front of him was. Sure, she looked a lot like Amy, the lab intern, and she even had that surprised lil 'O' she made when she was caught off guard But _this_ woman's blue-black hair was styled with jeweled barrettes and there were glittering diamonds in her ears and neck, allowing the light of the room to ricochet against the gems and cast an ethereal glow on the face of this woman; this woman whom his foot didn't seem to want to run away from.

* * *

Serena smiled. It didn't take a genius like the ones she was watching to understand the appreciative glances they were giving each other. Amy was always so shy, but all it ever took was a splatter of makeup and a proper dress and the bookworm could be transformed into quite a pretty butterfly. She glanced over at Zeke and noted with satisfaction that her favorite lazy-ass pretty-boy genius was giving Amy a thorough once-over...and approving of what he was seeing apparently.

Serena leaned back in her chair and kicked her feet up on the table. Ralph glanced at her in light annoyance.

"Girly, put your feet down."

"Ralphie," Serena said sweetly. "Eat your pizza and hush."

Ralph the security guard snorted but didn't complain as he wolfed down another slice of his Hawaiian pizza, a gross concoction that had Serena gagging when she hauled two large pies of it through the backdoor of the banquet hall.

"Weren't there supposed to be two of you helping me out?"

"Ralph, you sit on your sizeable ass and watch old doctors and pretty nurses eat bad food for a couple of hours." Serena said plainly. "I hardly think you need any more help than what you've got in front of you." She gestured to the collection of videos in front of them, each portraying different angles of the banquet hall. At present, she was focusing one of the cameras on her two friends, who were both pleasantly surprised even if they were trying to reign in their expressions at seeing each other.

"Girly you're hurting my man pride here." Ralph complained lightly.

Serena reached over and grabbed a handful of Ralph's belly fat and jiggled it for good measure. "That's a lot of man pride to hurt."

Ralph 'hmph'ed good-naturedly and swatted her hand away. This crazy girl had shown up out of nowhere last week with a Board member in tow and she basically demanded Ralph let her into the security room with a friend to do "vital reconnaissance," which was apparently teen-speak for "spying on bffs." He merely shrugged and reached for a chicken wing and thanked the Lord his first daughter wasn't due to hit puberty for another 15 years.

Serena glanced at her watch, a pink bunny contraption with sparkly ears for the hands. She drummed her fingers mindlessly. "Where is he...?"

Ralph grinned. "Got stood up?"

She smacked his fat one more time just as the door clicked open. As if conjured, Darien walked in, helmet in hand.

"There you are." Serena waved him over with a smile and a cherry slurpie. "What took you so long?"

Darien paused, reached for a pepperoni slice and, as he stuffed his face mumbled, "Jason's on to us."

* * *

"What?"

* * *

"What do you mean 'what?' " Amy rolled her eyes and blew a bang out of her hair.

"You've been staring at me for the last ten minutes." She said stiffly. "Cut it out."

"I have not been staring at you." Zeke insisted, his eyes unabashedly not straying from her face. Amy glanced at him out the corner of her eyes in mild irritation, noting in slight bitterness that the slob still managed to look good no matter what the idiot wore. He could probably pull off a trash bag if he got too lazy to wash his own clothes.

"Stealing glances at me is the same thing." Amy argued, shaking herself out of her reverie.

"Then added up, it'd be like five minutes of watching." Zeke reasoned. "Not ten."

She stared at him. "…are you seriously applying math to leering at me?"

"I have not been leering." He protested.

"Fine. Sneakily staring at me." Amy muttered, shifting uncomfortably.

"I can't really help it." Zeke shrugged unapologetically.

"And why not?"

"You look hot." Zeke looked even more amused as Amy spit up her water.

"Are you *cough* hitting on me?"

"Well, I'd hit on your mom," He gestured to Dr. Anderson who stood with Watson in the center of an animated discussion. "But she's busy at the moment. Plus," He grinned wolfishly and leaned closer to her. "She's not flashing about a mile of leg."

Amy's face tinged in light pink as she failed at trying to cover up her practically bare legs in Serena's dress. "It's not mine." She said unnecessarily.

"It should be." Zeke said leaning over and propping his chin on his hand. "Who knew you were hiding something so nice underneath those glasses and coat?"

"Zeke!" He almost laughed at how uncomfortable she seemed. Suddenly, somewhere in the room, a sweet tune was struck and the sound of violins singing filled the air. Amy turned her head to look at the source of the music, and Zeke found himself strangely captivated. It might've been the sparkly barrettes or the shiny diamonds, but he couldn't help but think that, if only for tonight, Amy was glowing. He had thought it earlier when her mother had 'introduced' her to him, but he was still in slight [albeit delighted] shock.

"I didn't realize she'd be playing here tonight." Amy was musing.

"Hmm?"

"Michaela, the violinist," Amy explained, without turning to him directly and noticing he was staring again. "She and my friend Raye have collaborated a few times in the past, and her music is always so beautiful." The last word was said with a happy sigh and Amy's face melted to contention as a piano joined the melody. "Isn't it?"

Some part of Zeke agreed with her statement (whatever it had been) and he mildly wondered if his face looked at much at peace as she did listening to this music, as he was having staring at her.

Something was wrong with him. And as an internal struggle began to fight itself inside of his mind, he didn't notice a shadow approaching until it hovered above Amy's head.

"Good evening Amy."

In an instant he watched the peace in Amy's face dissipate as her eyes snapped open in wild panic when she turned to face the speaker. Zeke watched her swallow, hard and he made the decision to not like whoever just interrupted the pretty picture he had been staring at.

"Greg?"

* * *

"Who?"

"Jason." Darien said, cocking an eyebrow. "Tall, blonde, skirt-chaser to all female humans?"

"Yes you jerk, I got it the first time." Serena ground out as Darien sat down between her and Ralph. "But how? Why? He's usually a gigantic ditz!"

"Well, apparently even a gigantic ditz can identify your insane hairstyle on the back of my bike at the temple." Darien ran a hand through his hair. "I guess we weren't careful enough..."

Serena sat back in her chair, her chicken wing forgotten. It wasn't exactly the end of the world, but the point of the whole thing was to make sure her friends didn't suspect her hand in anything. If they realized she was setting them up...

She bit her nail, mind racing. It was fine, no reason to worry for now. Jason was just one person out of the entire bunch that noticed something was off, but that wasn't too big a problem at the moment. Serena straightened herself, resolved. She'd just have to rush things a bit faster. Did she have Ryan's number on her cell phone? Maybe. If she didn't it couldn't be too hard to look up...

"What did you say to him?" Darien turned to look at Serena over his slurpie. She wasn't looking at him, her eyes seemingly staring into space, her focus on her cupid battle plan.

"I told him I saw you a few blocks down, picked you up and brought you home."

"..." Serena stared at him. "Do you realize that you made me sound like a prostitute?"

"Don't think it's the first time either." Darien quipped before having a chicken wing smack into his face.

"And you're telling me," Serena said in disbelief. "That Jason actually bought that kindness-act crap?"

"I don't think so," Darien said, wiping the sauce from his cheek then biting into the wing. "But Keith and Nevan seemed to. I think they were less suspicious and more grateful that you and I were 'finally getting along.'" He mimicked Keith's fatherly voice.

Serena blanched. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," Darien nodded, eyes watching cameras 12 and 15. "So it's a little hitch on the project, but nothing to panic over." His eyes narrowed and he suddenly leaned forward. "Unlike what your little friend is doing now. Tyler what the hell is wrong with Amy?"

Serena glanced at the screen, smirked, and kicked back. "Do you remember chemistry, Carson?"

"Refresh my memory," Darien muttered, watching his old high school's resident brain begin to semi-hyperventilate. "And tell me what it has to do with your alien-haired friend looking like she's having a heart attack."

"Think of this as...a catalyst."

* * *

"...What?"

* * *

"I said," The blond man said, staring Greg down with hostile green eyes. "That I'd appreciate if you stepped aside."

Gregory Goodman tried to avert the other man's stare, but found that his physique effectively blocked his line of vision to Amy. Speaking of whom,

"Zeke, wait," Amy had risen from behind this imposingly tall person and actually grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, honey," The man named Zeke replied sweetly to her. Greg narrowed his eyes at him. "I was just telling, Greg, was it?" At this, he gave the shorter man a pointed look that was anything but pleasant.

"I was just saying that I would appreciate it if he stepped aside so I could lead you to the dance floor." His arm turned in an effortless, elegant manner so that he now held Amy's hand in his and he smirked at Mr. Goodman for good measure. "Amy is a fan of this violinist so, if you'll excuse us." And, with a barely-there tug and a swirl of midnight blue, Amy Merquise disappeared from his sight. The hell?

"No idea what that was about," Zeke mused stopping on the floor next to a few couples on the floor, arm going around Amy's waist. "But I think you at least owe me a thank you. Or an explanation." He shrugged. "Either of which work."

"You didn't have to do that." She wasn't looking at him. Shit. Did he make her mad? Was Mr. Goodman actually someone she _wanted _to see?

"No," Zeke said aloud to her statement and to his own thoughts. "You were looking like you needed a paper bag the second he showed up."

Amy looked up at that and gave a helpless smile, eyes still troubled. "Did I look that upset?"

"I've seen you upset, oh blue-haired one," Zeke smirked, just happy that she wasn't pissed at him. "But I've never seen a chemical explosion that made you look like you'd rather be at the cafeteria during lunch hour in your underwear."

Amy threw her head back and laughed. And Zeke smiled at the sight.

"You know, Zeke," Amy said after a lingering giggle. "I honestly figured you to be an asinine snob when we first met-"

"Thank you, I think?"

"-BUT, you're really not as bad as I thought you were." She finished with a smile.

"'Not as bad?'" Zeke repeated incredulously. "I save you and all I get is 'not as bad?'"

"You did not save me." Amy laughed at him. "You stood between us and glared at him with hate in your eyes for two minutes."

"Hey, those are two minutes of my life that I will never get back." Zeke protested, a little part of him cheering that she wasn't looking like an imprisoned animal. "And I don't even know who the hell I was glaring at."

"Gregory Goodman was an old friend." Amy explained slowly after a thoughtful pause. Zeke snorted.

"Pretty sure I never went into shock at seeing 'an old friend.'"

Amy shot him a look to hush him. "Greg and I had a ... _thing_ a while back, but it wasn't anything serious."

"Really?" Amy smiled at the disbelieving man.

"Considering that he confessed to being around me for a letter of recommendation and connections with my mother," She said thoughtfully, ignoring the change of Zeke's expression. "It was pretty understood that whatever we had wasn't serious. We were cordial when I last saw him, but it's not like I spend my days wondering if he's ever thinking of me. I was just...surprised when I saw him today. More so that he's talking to me when I haven't had any need to reach out to him." Amy mused aloud.

Zeke stared at her in silence and Amy laughed at the face he made at her. He made a non-committal sound that substituted as his response and a comfortable silence fell between the two of them. The music had changed, Amy noted, but she thought it was nice to keep dancing with Zeke so she didn't bother to point it out to him.

"...I already have a letter of recommendation." Zeke suddenly said, meeting Amy's eyes honestly. "Actually, I have quite a few. I _am_ a big fan of your mom's work, but that's because I think she's insanely brilliant." At that, Zeke suddenly remembered that the whole point of tonight was talking, or at least trying to talk, to Anastasia Anderson. And yet, with this strange, funny, pretty nerd in his arms, he figured the night wasn't a complete loss...

"Well," Amy was saying before quirking up at him with a smile. "Thank you for being so honest Mr. Niveus."

"I just figured if we're going to have a relationship that we should be honest with each other."

"A relationship?" Amy was more amused than embarrassed to actually blush.

"Well, at least the one we're faking while your little boy-toy stares at you in wonderment from the sidelines." Zeke quipped a little too happily when he spun them in a certain way, allowing her to catch a glimpse of a perplexed Greg over his shoulder.

"You're terrible." Amy said, smile notwithstanding. "I think he's just trying to be nice to me."

"And yet you're not stopping me." Zeke pointed out.

"Why would I?" Amy asked innocently. "When you put in so much effort just for me."

Zeke laughed and shook his head at her. "I'm honestly surprised more people at this shindig aren't shunning you for your evilness."

"You know, I'm actually surprised that you're here." Amy said. "My friend couldn't make it to tonight's event so we passed on our extra ticket to Dr. Watson." She explained. "But I didn't realize that he had passed it on to you."

Zeke's eyebrows furrowed. "That's weird. The Doc mentioned that you had a date tonight but I didn't realize it was your mother, let alone that it was supposed to be here."

Amy suddenly laughed after a pensive lull. "Do you think he's trying to set us up?"

Zeke actually scoffed. "Like what? Playing Cupid?"

"You say it like it's an impossible idea."

"Not impossible." Zeke mused. "It's just, a man as smart as the Doc would know that you would've fallen for my amazing awesomeness no matter what." Zeke said with all the confidence a man with girl-length hair could have. "Cupid or no."

At that, he twirled her around and brought her back close to him with a snap of his elbow, boring those blaring emerald eyes into her own. Some medical part of Amy's brain recognized that a heart skipping a beat wasn't a particularly safe notion, but she figured if Ezekiel Niveus could make it happen a few more times with just a simple cocky smile, it couldn't be too bad...

* * *

"Geez, didn't she turn firetruck-red and then pass out that one time a guy gave her a love letter?"

"No, she didn't." Serena was quick to correct Darien's awe. "She just blushed extremely heavily before breaking out into hives."

Darien smiled indulgently. "Either way," He nodded to the images of Zeke smiling a smile Darien wasn't sure he'd ever seen on his friend. "It's a nice improvement."

Serena watched the identical smiles on her friends' faces on cameras 18, 22, and 24 and felt her heart lighten at the sight. It was happening. Slowly but surely, it was happening.

Granted, it would've happened anyway without her or Darien's interference...but Serena didn't have the patience to wait for her friends to grasp perfection so she had to make it happen with the time she had left.

Love.

It was finally starting. And Serena thought it was worth calling in a million favors to make it happen.

_'And not a moment too soon.' _

Like a reliable reminder, a spasm went through her chest but she forced the coughs down. She smiled to herself wryly, turning away so Darien, who was so engrossed in his conversation with Ralph about the perfect pizza toppings, wouldn't notice the grimace she would make for another few minutes. Serena clutched at her chest and stood her ground.

_'Not yet, silly. I'm not done yet...'_

**

* * *

chickay:** Well, 2 years and nearly 2 months later, CL is finally updated!! To rejoice in an update [FINALLY!!!!] or to groan in anticipation for the next installment [which I _swear_ will not take another 2 years and nearly 2 months], I leave it up to you, my faithful readers. If someone has read this (probably my longest chapter of CL) and still finds it fantastically appealing, do let me know, you know where the REVIEW button is :D If you haven't figured it out yet, my ego likes to be fed.

This chapter is a little longer than the usual, but I really hope you all liked it...or stomached it well enough to not flame me. Constructive criticism is welcome, since I'm assuming my writing style has changed in the last 2 years, but I'm still hoping you'll be able to stand me as I am and wait for me and my brain to get its act together. Hope you enjoyed it and I'll be around...maybe sooner than you think. Til then, **=]**

**posted: 8/17/09**

**edited:10/24/09**


	11. December I: Pleasantly Confused

**Cupid's Last**

**Pleasantly Confused  
**

**December I**

**

* * *

**

"Serena, it's perfectly fine." Michaela Kurtz reassured the girl on the other line. "I really don't mind doing this, although," She glanced back into the gala and watched Raye Harrington's friend Amy Merquise laughing with a tall stranger with red-gold hair longer than her own.

"I hope you plan on letting me in on your little scheme soon."

"Micha," The friendly nickname was covered so thickly in sarcasm that Michaela's ear needed a wipe. "_Whatever_ are you talking about?"

"Alright, alright." The violinist conceded with a laugh. "I'll let you off the hook for now. Try to stay out of trouble and say hi to Trista for me."

"Yes ma'am!!" Serena chirped, hanging up on Trista's old colleague.

"Hey," Michaela turned around as she put her phone away to see the pianist calling to her. "We're on in ten again."

"Sure thing." She replied then started before the pianist disappeared back into the room. "Oh, by the way, I didn't get your name…"

She was a tall woman, with sandy blonde hair and strong features that made her more 'handsome' than 'beautiful.' The stranger smiled and extended a hand,

"Hi. My name's Haley Trask."

Michaela grasped the strong, slender fingers and a pleasant frisson ran along her spine. The violinist felt a brand new smile settle into the corners of her mouth.

"Hello Haley." Teal held aquamarine. "I'm Michaela. It's nice to meet you."

* * *

"…And I said, 'Good-bye Mr. Procella.'"

Lita's ponytail flicked the very tip of Nevan's nose and she turned away from him after rejecting him…yet again…for maybe the third time today. He glanced at his Rolex. And it wasn't even lunch yet.

"You know," He started off, following her as she walked between damaged cars and sweaty men to her station. "You're really bad at this whole customer service thing."

"And you really suck at taking 'no' for an answer." Lita threw over her shoulder, suddenly stopping before she swung onto the hood of a Honda that Larry was fixing and sliding across it cleanly, sticking her tongue out at him as she made more distance between them.

"Just when I don't think I deserve it." He retorted, still going after her.

"And what the hell makes you think that you deserve this?" She laughed at the incredulousness of his ego.

"Well, let's see," Nevan raised a hand and ticked off the numerous things that made him a fantastic candidate for anything, "I'm rich, damn good looking, a self-made man from humble beginnings-"

She actually barked in laughter!

"And several other great attributes that should make you insanely grateful to go out with me-"

"And yet," Lita gasped in mock-shock. "Here I am resisting your oh-so humble charms."

"Why not?" Lita looked up at him past her cap's flap, completely and utterly exasperated, her small smile notwithstanding.

"You're a persistent little parasite, aren't you?"

Nevan grinned and Lita's stomach did a little flop. "I know you say it out of all the fondness you have for me."

"Which could all fit in the palm of my hand." Lita retorted happily, about to go around a mustang with a dent on the right side when she was pulled back by a persistent, parasitic tug at her hand.

"You know what else could fit here?" Nevan Procella smiled seductively, holding Lita's hand in his own, examining the fingers and palm as if they held the secrets of the world. "This." It was at that moment that he chose to curl his fingers into hers, effectively linking their hands together.

Lita blushed heavily.

Nevan relished the moment.

The guys at the garage grinned and chuckled amongst themselves.

* * *

On the other side of the street, watching the scene through binoculars, Serena hooted in triumph and Darien pulled her back down to the ground next to his motorcycle which was positioned in the Wendy's parking lot (they would've conducted their observation at the Taco Bell parking lot as usual, but their multiple borderline-stalking voyeurism had made the managers very uncomfortable).

"Eeek!!" Serena shrieked happily. "Aaahh!! Darien did you see that?" She said, eyes sparkling and hands clapping in absolute glee that Darien _had_ to smile. Even if she _was_ punching his arm repeatedly in her happy daze.

* * *

"Look," Lita said, taking back her hand, still flustered. "I get that you're appreciative of the fact that I fixed your car-"

"Twice." He interjected, smiling proudly at her work, which was spiffed up and finally fixed, this time for good, he hoped, just outside of the garage.

"-Yes, well," Lita went on, beaming a little at her own handiwork. "I'm glad you like it and, really, you've already covered the expenses and, if you want to do more," She plowed on when she saw he was ready to say more, "You can just recommend us to the people you know. We could always use the business."

Nevan thought of his business associates chatting up with Lita at the garage and wasn't sure if the boiling in his stomach was irritation or just plain jealousy. It struck him, as it usually did, that it could very easily be either, probably the latter. But he wasn't about to tell _her_ that so he settled with saying,

"Lita, please explain to me what is so horrible about the prospect of me taking you out to dinner?"

"It's Kingston," Lita corrected him. "And, there's nothing horrible about the idea, per se, it's just that I don't date customers-"

"Well, I'm no longer a customer anymore," Nevan interrupted. "Again."

"-Or ex-customers-" Lita continued to tick off.

"Hey, that's not fair." Nevan protested.

"-Or men that hand out their own business cards."

Nevan paused, staring at her incredulously. "Now I _know_ you're only saying that to avoid going out with me."

"Don't give yourself too much credit." Lita said, rolling her eyes at his overconfidence.

"I'm not," Nevan insisted. "I just want to take you out. Where's the harm in that? Look, I have reservations at this place and-"

"And that's a little assumptive of you, isn't it?" Lita interrupted, with a hint of that sarcastic harpy Nevan was learning to enjoy.

"Look, I'm not being anything," He tried defending himself. "I'm just trying to let you know that I'm interested in spending some time with you outside of this grease pit- no offense guys." He added quickly, and a chorus followed his instant insult/apology:

"It's fine. We know it's greasy."

"Lita, just date him to get him out of here. Everyone thinks he's here to sue us."

"Anybody seen my toolbox?"

"Forget your toolbox. Anybody seen my sandwich?"

"Yeah, it was in Kenny's mouth ten minutes ago."

Lita chuckled and shook her head at the men she worked with turning her eyes to focus on the one man she didn't. She sighed, knowing that the more he showed up, the fewer defenses she had to keep him out.

"Procella, are you _ever_ gonna give up on this?"

He smirked because she already knew the answer, "Lita, I am a –what did you call me? 'A persistent little parasite' who doesn't like the idea of giving up."

"Fabulous." Lita muttered, rolling her eyes. "Hold on while I go find my bug spray." She said smoothly loud enough for him to hear before turning her back to him and leaving him in her wake…again.

Nevan would've asked himself why he kept coming back even after she continued to reject him but, watching Lita's hips swinging this way and that as she walked away, he figured it didn't really matter.

* * *

"-and why exactly would I do that?" Kenny Dupree asked, leaning against the wall of Mike's office at Mikey's Garage as he pressed the phone into his ear with his shoulder while wiping the ketchup from Al's burger from the side of his mouth.

"Because you love me?"

He laughed, "Try again blondie."

Ken heard the laugh of Lita's long-time friend over the line and he knew it didn't matter why she was asking this, because he'd end up doing it anyway.

"Then how about because neither of us is blind to what's going on in that garage."

Ken frowned and glanced about in the garage, expecting to see a pair of yellow hair-balls bouncing around between the cars. "How exactly do you know what's going on here?" He demanded; his eyes fixated on Lita and Nevan arguing about one thing or another.

"Less questions, more action Kenny." Serena perkily commanded.

"And what's in it for me?"

"Are you trying to extort me you little grease-monkey?"

"Ooh ooh aah aah." Kenny monkey-mimicked with a grin.

Serena laughed once more. "Fine, you oiled-up blackmailer." She adjusted her hold on the phone, accepting a slurpie from Darien. "You've been looking for another job right?"

Ken pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in wonderment. "How the hell did you know that?" He asked, genuinely surprised. "I don't think I even mentioned that to Lita. Or anyone for that matter." He added.

"Once again," Serena said carelessly, "Less questions, more action. Now go perform a little trick for me and I'll have a special banana for you when you're done."

* * *

Nevan swirled his red wine before taking a nice long sip. Chocolate eyes surveyed the field in front of him as he took in the view. A lazy smile curled around his mouth as he felt every muscle in his body loosen in relaxation, something he hadn't had in a long time.

Next week, he'd have contracts to deal with. He'd have to call some people, yell at a few others, and shirk from his mother's calls like usual. Nothing out of the ordinary, save for an occasional trip out of town that he'd have to take. Maybe, if he had a little bit of time, he could drop by the garage again.

Lita's amused face passed through his mind and Nevan had to smile. Sure, he may have thought she was his punishment from that time he put Jason's hand in a bowl of water at sleep-away camp, and he really didn't have any other reason to come around anymore, but the man was drawn to her in an almost hypnotic manner. Which was, let's be honest, kind of crazy considering that between Nevan's status and wealth and damn good looks he really could've gotten just about any other woman in place of the blushing smart-mouth teenager he went out of his way every week to see.

But he still went. And Nevan knew he probably would keep doing so for a while and for reasons that were beyond what he was willing to comprehend at the moment. But until that moment of clarity reached him…

He heard the 'clack' behind him and turned around in his seat, seeing that familiar silhouette approaching him, long hair swinging against the shadows. He set his drink down and stood up like the gentleman he was taught to be. Nevan smiled.

"Hey, glad you could make it."

* * *

"I wonder where Lita is." Raye murmured, looking into the crowd of people waiting to get their tickets outside the movie theater.

"She's probably on her way over from work." Mina suggested, as she balanced a tub of popcorn that Serena would all but inhale later on tonight. "I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"I thought she wasn't working today." Amy said distractedly as she gripped two sodas in her hands.

"She was." Serena popped in. "I dropped by the garage and gave her her birthday present earlier today."

"Serena!" Raye admonished lightly. "I thought we were going to do that tomorrow at her birthday dinner."

"Either way," Serena interrupted. "She's bound to pop up soon enough. Let's just head inside and save a seat for her."

"Still," Raye murmured thoughtfully as she rummaged in her purse, "I should probably give her a call-"

"It's ok!" Serena said loudly, startling Mina into shaking the popcorn so that some kernels flew out of the tub. The meatball-headed blonde whipped out her phone out of thin air and smiled, "You guys go on ahead; I'll give her a call now."

The other three looked at her oddly before shrugging off Serena's behavior and ambling toward their movie, not noticing that Serena never hit the Call button on her phone…

* * *

Lita pulled up to the restaurant Adastra, frowning when the person on the other line didn't pick up.

"Geez, Serena," She muttered at the phone, a brand new Blackberry. "Where on earth are you?"

The brunette had been trying to get a hold of her best friends during her drive to the restaurant without any luck. She looked up to the restaurant sign, framed on either side by golden stars. She tucked her phone into her bag and got out of the car. Maybe they were already inside?

Adastra was a new restaurant in town that was being hailed as a connoisseur's paradise. Lita had expressed an interest in the place and Serena had suggested that they all go out together on the weekend of Lita's birthday. Although…

Lita took in literally the dozens of people packed at the front and along the outside patio and wondered if this was such a good idea. She bumped into a few people on her way to the host stand, including a young blonde couple too enthralled in each other's presence, a tall man with stark white hair, three rambunctious children, and a disgruntled old woman who demanded to talk to the manager.

"Excuse me," The hostess (whose nametag read Molly) was a redhead who glanced up with eyes that had too much shadow and not enough eyebrows. Lita tried to not make a face. "My friends and I have a reservation tonight?"

The hostess chewed her gum and popped a bubble as she looked at her roster. "Name?"

"My name is Lita Kingston, but the reservation should be under Serena Tyler-"

"Miss Kingston." Molly's eyes widened and suddenly a huge friendly smile plastered itself on her face. "We've been expecting you."

Lita blinked before following the hostess who gestured for her to follow. Molly walked ahead of her and through the restaurant, which Lita had to admire. The light was dimmed and romantic, with tea lights in short lotus-shaped holders at each table, and the air littered with the kind of sweet fragrance that you could only get from freshly cut flowers in deep crimson shades. Dozens of couples huddled in booths at raised platforms that hugged the walls while parties of more sat at large lazy Susan tables, laughing and talking under a ceiling that glowed midnight blue amidst twinkling lights meant to mimic the stars themselves. Upon closer inspection, Lita would see that the lights actually followed the constellations in the night sky.

"The ceiling is set up like a planetarium." Molly said and Lita realized that she had stopped walking. "The boss has it set so that it actually rotates to match the night sky outside. Cool huh?"

"A little anal, if you ask me." Lita said with a laugh, impressed nonetheless.

The hostess made a face like the idea of her boss being anything less than godly was beyond her comprehension. "Right. Well, we actually have to go up here."

Lita followed her gesture and realized that they were standing at a wall curtained by scarlet velvet drapes. Molly moved the drapes aside and Lita saw a staircase leading up.

"The Boss has a specific place he likes dining to. Although," Molly glanced at Lita up and down. "I gotta say; you're not what he usually brings up."

Lita stopped on her way. "Excuse me?"

"Don't take it personally." Molly smiled reassuringly. "It's just that the Boss hardly ever comes around and when he does, it's usually a tall guy in a stiff suit that gets the place of honor."

"Holdonholdon a minute." Lita said, confused. "I'm sorry, your boss?"

"Yeah," Molly said flippantly. "Just head up the stairs and he'll be up there."

"Wha- Hang on, I think there's been a misunderstanding." Lita insisted.

Molly quirked an almost nonexistent eyebrow at her. "You're Miss Kingston, aren't you?"

"Well, yeah but-"

"-Lita Kingston, right?"

"_Yes_." Lita said impatiently. "But I'm supposed to meet with my girlfriends, not-"

"Molly!" A busboy with dark harried hair and glasses that clearly needed to be downsized suddenly appeared at their side, clearly out of breath. "Molly," _heave_, "Get back to the front," _heave_, "We're booked solid tonight, some people are getting pissed and _the boss is here_!" He hissed.

"Okok Melvin! Calm down!" Molly commanded as she brushed past Lita, calling out as she moved back over to her stand, "Just head on up, ok? He's waiting."

Lita stared at the retreating redhead before turning to stare at the staircase like it was the first few steps to Mount Everest. The boss huh?

It was only one flight of stairs and she reached the top in less than a minute, even though each step felt like it took a lifetime. What was going on here? The door swung open at her touch, and Lita figured it didn't matter since she was about to find out…

…As she reached the top, it suddenly occurred to her that, in her walk through the restaurant, she didn't see her friends anywhere…

* * *

Toss. Catch. Munch. Swallow. Repeat.

Toss. Catch. Munch. "Did she pick up?"

"Who?"

"Lita," Raye said, exasperated. "Serena, I thought you called her."

"Oh yeah." Serena said, not meeting Raye's eyes and moving the popcorn tub from Mina's hands to her lap. "She didn't pick up. Maybe she knocked out after work?"

"I hope she doesn't over-exert herself before midterms." Amy said worriedly.

"I'm sure she's fine." Mina said reassuringly. "If anything, that'll be just a greater motivation for us to make tomorrow night even more special for her."

"Yeah." Serena conceded cheerfully as trumpet sounds came alive and the lights dimmed in the room. "Ooh, hush guys. The previews are starting."

* * *

The night air was crisp and Lita savored the feeling and…the smell? She sniffed. Was that…soup? The door shut behind her with an audible clack, and a movement on the roof caught her attention.

"Art? Is that you?" A voice called out and Lita turned to face the sound, realizing that the voice came from someone underneath a trellis on the restaurant rooftop. Waitwhat? A trellis? There came a pleasant chuckle.

"Hey, I thought you were heading out. Come over here. They just dropped off the bowls and you really need to try this-"

Lita froze, realizing that the dip in her stomach was her brain realizing that she, in fact, knew the voice that was speaking to her, thinking she was someone else.

She somehow found her voice. "Nevan?"

A figure rose suddenly from their chair under the trellis and Nevan Procella turned around to stare at the object of his distraction standing ten feet away from him.

* * *

The tall man with stark white hair that swung down to his waist stalked out of the restaurant, his job done. He had opened his car door just as his phone rang. He didn't even have time to speak when someone else on the other line went,

"So?"

His key slipped in and the car revved to life. "It's done." He pulled the gear to drive.

"Are you sure?" The question made him roll his eyes.

"Darien, who do you think you're talking to?"

"Well, I _thought_ I was talking to a sane lawyer who was above playing along with a barely-legal teenager in her psychotic mission to-"

"Says the guy who acts as her get-away car." Artemis snorted, glancing at the two fading stars in his rear-view mirror. At this distance, he was sure if he turned around, he'd be able to see them.

"I take offense to that," Darien scoffed mockingly. "I have a motorcycle."

He heard Artemis laugh a little before saying good-bye. Then Darien hit a few more keys before clicking on the phone number under the name _Cupid _(Serena had insisted) and then hit "send."

* * *

Eros: Harpy at destination. Contact with Prick established.

Cupid: Other Targets preoccupied. It's a night.

Eros: Wait what? No sneaking from a distance? No semi-stalking? No creepily eavesdropping from under the dinner table??

Cupid: You're enjoying being a creeper way too much.

Eros: No I'm not. I've never been a creeper until four months ago. We're always creepers. Why aren't we creepers tonight?

Cupid: Because our bffs are getting suspicious. Why? Miss me already?

Eros: 1) Guys do not have bffs. 2) Hell no.

Cupid: I [less-than sign]3 you too Darien. :P

* * *

"You're wearing a dress."

"No shit."

It was an automatic response to Nevan's dumbly stated words, but Lita watched him slowly smile anyway. She crossed her arms over the forest-green bust line of her off-the shoulder bubble-skirt dress, a present from Trista that Lita had to wear the moment she opened it. Watching Nevan pleasantly shocked expression, she felt that she'd made the right decision.

_'Even though you weren't planning on seeing him anyway.'_ Her mind dutifully reminded her.

"I'm kind of surprised you showed up." Nevan said, shaking her out of her thoughts, before a frown burrowed on his forehead. "Actually, I don't think I ever told you where to go-"

Lita shook her head furiously like there was some loose information she was rifling her mind to find. "Hold on a minute. I'm not here to meet you."

Nevan raised an eyebrow and looked her up and down like the hostess did, although this time with approving eyes. "Could've fooled me."

"Shut it, Procella." Lita commanded. "I'm supposed to be meeting my friends here, but I think there's been some kind of a misunderstanding."

"Your friends?" Nevan would've looked hurt if Lita didn't know this man was too haughty to ever be hurt by anything. "That's a little mean considering that it's our date night."

Silence.

"…'_Date night_?'" The words came out like a croak. Nevan assessed her carefully before realizing that she wasn't kidding.

"Lita, don't you remember earlier this week when I stopped by?"

Lita frowned, racking her brain for whatever incident he seemed to be talking about. She recalled their exchange in the garage, and him persistently asking her out like he always did and…

"_I just want to take you out."_ He'd said. _"Where's the harm in that? Look, I have reservations at this place and-"_

Lita blinked, the realization hitting her. "_This_ is where you got a reservation?"

"Of course not, Lita," Nevan laughed. "Who needs a reservation at your own restaurant?"

* * *

"But he's never brought a girl over before!" She wrung her hands.

"I don't exactly think she's young enough to be a 'girl.'" He replied noncommittally, elbows into suds and dirty dishes.

"That's not the point though!" Molly whined, stomping her foot on the ground as she spoke to Melvin during her break.

"Molly," Melvin sighed, "Please calm down."

"I can't!" She insisted. "What if this girl is his girlfriend or something?"

"Well," He grasped. "At least now we know for sure he's not gay, right?"

"Melvin!" He rolled his eyes at her hyperventilation and swiped his forehead, inadvertently getting soap bubbles over his face and dripping some on his oversized glasses. The image got him a laugh from the girl he'd been in love with for years before she hopped off the counter and walked closer to him, "You dork, hold still." She admonished, wiping his forehead of the bubbles and taking his glasses down to clean them off.

Molly reached up to put them back on his face when she suddenly realized that [oh my] Melvin didn't look quite so…Melvin-like at a two feet distance and without his telescopic glasses. She stared. Melvin blinked.

"Molly?" He asked tentatively, wondering why she chose to keep him in his legally blind state. "Are you ok?"

She squeaked something that he could assume was a "Yes!" before slapping his glasses crookedly onto his face. Melvin could've sworn Molly was turning as red as her hair as she ran out the kitchen, but he figured he was seeing things through his askew vision…

* * *

"Are you really going to stand there all night?"

"I'm honestly not sure what to do right now."

"Well," He smiled, amused. "You could take the seat across from mine."

She crossed her arms and gave him an intent stare. "I wouldn't want to take your original date's place."

"'Date?'" Nevan repeated the word like it was foreign to him. And from how the hostess responded to Lita's presence, it might as well have been. The lights in Nevan's head seemed to go on suddenly and he laughed. "You mean Artemis? My lawyer?"

"Somehow having your lawyer over at your restaurant doesn't seem like a very reassuring thing."

"Hardly," Nevan dismissed with a regal hand wave. "He's a good friend who wanted to talk about planning a big event in a few months with my restaurant catering. Unless," He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "You're jealous."

Lita sighed. "And just like that, you hot-air balloon of an ego has just absorbed all the viable air on this roof."

Nevan laughed and rose, showing himself to be out of his suits and wearing a simple maroon V-neck sweater and dark slacks. "Have a seat, Lita." He pulled out the chair across from his. "You can tell me if you think Adastra has lived up to its latest hype and," He grinned, "I think the air is easier to breathe over here."

Lita sincerely doubted it because this man had the power to suck the air and resistance out of her, illustrated by the way her feet were willingly moving towards him.

"'Adastra?'" She repeated as she sat in the offered chair.

"It means 'to the stars' in Latin," Nevan shrugged as he walked back over to his seat. "Or at least I think so."

"You don't even know the name of your own restaurant?" She was smirking at him. He fought the urge to stick his tongue out at her.

"Latin wasn't my strongest subject." He admitted instead. "Astronomy, on the other hand, was."

"Astronomy?" Lita smiled disbelievingly. "Somehow you don't quite fit the type to stare at stars."

"I will have you know," Nevan began; clearly appalled that she couldn't see what he saw in the sky. "That intelligent men of all cultures and races turned to the heavens at some point in their history to determine and divine critical events."

"Like human sacrifice." Lita supplied with a quirky smile.

"Among other things." Nevan insisted. "Calendars, eclipses, and not to mention…"

And thus launched the great Stars-Are-Awesome lecture that had Lita torn between being surprisingly interested in the topic and being bemused over how excited this man looked by just talking about it. She found herself asking a question here and there and realized much later on that the conversation had moved on to different topics like movies ("I don't understand the buildup of Twilight." "FINALLY! SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS!!"), politics ("…I hope you realize that I haven't been following you since you mentioned something about the Chamber of something-"), music ("You know that song 'ten thousand fireflies-'" "Stop singing that song right now or I will have to throw you off this roof."), and their respective jobs ("What _do_ you do anyway?" "Make money and scare people.").

Lita found herself immersed into the dialogue as she had her soup (which was delicious) and the salad (which was nice but the dressing needed some changes), genuinely laughing as she watched Nevan's hand gestures and facial expressions change to the kinds she didn't know he could make when he wasn't hitting on her.

…Which of course, he had to eventually remind her of:

"You look beautiful, by the way," Nevan said suddenly, nodding in her direction.

"It's the dress," Lita said begrudgingly after a long blush. "My friend just gave it to me today."

"Sweet friend."

"Actually," Lita grinned widely. "She's the same girl that gave us our first meal together.

"Quesadilla girl?" Nevan laughed at the fond memory. "Remind me to get her a thank-you card."

"You could just take her out to dinner." Lita quipped. "Since this is apparently how you thank people."

"I thank people with gift baskets. This," He gestured to their table. "Is just because I like you."

Lita stared before shaking her head. "You like making me feel awkward, don't you?"

"I spend so much time getting hell from you that it's nice once in a while to make you feel out of place."

Lita laughed when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Oh my God! I can't believe I forgot!"

"What is it?"

"The girls! I was supposed to meet them tonight!"

"Don't tell me you're bailing on me." Nevan half-joked, knowing that she could very easily rise out of her chair and down the staircase at any moment. He didn't like knowing this information. "They're bringing out the entrees soon."

"Maybe not," Lita admitted teasingly. "But I am wondering why no one's called me yet. You'd think they would, considering it's my birthday-"

"Your birthday?" Nevan repeated a little dumbly.

"Yeah." She said, not noticing the gears in his head turning over this piece of information as she pulled out her phone. "It's technically tomorrow but we were supposed to celebrate it tonight…"

Her voice trailed off while Nevan pondered what to do with this new fact. He'd have to get her a present or something, right? Wait, why would he? He was just an old client, right? One that she'd been spending the last few months avoiding or verbally attacking. He glanced at Lita over the candle centerpiece, brown curls glowing gold, and made a decision to make sure tonight was the first night to change that.

"That's weird." Nevan wiped the corner of his mouth with his napkin as her comment brought him from his thoughts.

"What is?"

"My friends' numbers…" Lita murmured, going through her phone and staring at the unfamiliar numbers. "They're…not right."

Nevan quirked an eyebrow. "Not right?"

"It's weird." She announced, frowning at her cell. "All their numbers are different on my phone."

"That's strange." Nevan agreed. "Maybe the numbers got corrupted when you switched phones?"

"Maybe," Lita said, not really believing it. Her mind flashed to earlier that afternoon,

_"What're you doing?" Kenny demanded, slightly appalled._

_"Ditching the old," Lita said with a smile as she jump-shot her old phone (which had been dropped in everything from oil to cake batter) into the trashcan. "And enjoying the new." _

_With that, she pulled out a shiny new phone she had just bought the other day, so new that the screen protector was still attached. Kenny nodded in approval._

"_Cool," Kenny said, holding out a hand. "Can I see?"_

_"Sure." Lita said with a happy shrug. "Just wipe your grease off when you're done. I've got an engine to check and-"_

_"Hey! Lita!" The brunette spun around to see Serena appear out of nowhere, carrying a box at her side. Lita smiled. _

_"Serena? What're you doing here?" She began to walk over to her friend but paused before shooting over her shoulder, "Remember what I said, Kenny! Wipe your grease off!"_

_She barely caught the forebodingly mischievous smirk, "Sure thing Lita…"_

_[If she had looked closer, she would've seen it on two different faces]_

"That dirty little s-"

"Lady words, Lita, lady words." Nevan laughed, watching her face contort into one of absolute hatred that promised years of revenge on some poor idiot. [Miles away, Kenneth Dupree felt an intense hatred bear into his soul]

"I just don't know why that idiot would do this." Lita was officially flabbergasted.

"Didn't you sneak a couple of bolts into his sandwich last week?"

"Yes and no." Lita defended. "I snuck in the bolts, but it was _my_ sandwich. I was trying to teach him a lesson!"

"By making him rush to the dentist?" He shot back grinning at the memory.

"His teeth survived." Was her lame justification that made Nevan laugh out loud.

A waiter and waitress came up at the point and deposited the entrees on their tables. Lita watched the waitress shiver and realized that, even in her dress, she hadn't felt remotely cold since she sat down with Nevan. She kind of liked it.

"So what do you think?" Nevan nodded to her food.

"I think your restaurant does pretty well for being owned by a guy who makes money and scares people." Lita laughed.

"Thanks, I think." Nevan accepted. "You know, there's this nice place by the beach that serves amazing lobster-"

Lita's utensils froze in mid-air. "Nevan." She began to object. "I really don't think that's a good idea."

"You didn't think going out with me would be a good idea either did you?" He argued. "And yet, here you are, not screaming at me."

"Technically, I'm still not going out with you." Lita pointed out in an attempt to lift the serious tones Nevan was taking this conversation.

"Come out with me then." Nevan said, rushing when he saw her about to protest again. "For real, this time, and not because you thought you were having a girls' night out."

"Look, Nevan." Lita tried to grasp what patience and self-control she had. "I get that you may be attracted to me but you shouldn't try to push those kinds of feelings-"

"Even when I know you feel the same way?" Nevan demanded, a hint of impatience creeping into his voice.

Lita paused, looking away before slowly saying, "You don't know that."

"Yes, I do." Nevan insisted, leaning across the table, food forgotten. "Lita, you may think that I'm doing this because I like playing around with people but I swear to you that this isn't the case."

"So you're honestly serious about dating a teenager?"

"Do I look like I'm joking with you?"

"I don't know what you look like when you're joking because we've only known each other for the past four months when we're yelling at each other!"

"Then get to know me!" He retorted. "Talk to me! Give me a chance," Nevan found that he actually sounded like he was pleading with her. God, what was his problem? He stared down at the girl in front of him, pretty brown waves cascading on either side of her face and knew that she was it.

"Lita, I like you." Nevan confessed honestly. He watched her face grimace, as if the words hurt to hear. Or believe. Did she really think so little of herself? "I'll admit I thought you were a demon from hell when we first met but I can't leave you alone anymore. I like seeing you, I like talking to you even if it's not about my car or how much I owe you. I even like you when we're arguing!" He threw up his hands in exasperation to illustrate the ludicrousness of it all. "Do you honestly believe that I would go through all this just because I need to amuse myself?"

"Maybe you're a masochist." Lita muttered off-hand.

"Or maybe I want to be with you." He purported.

"I sincerely doubt that." The comment was said so softly that Nevan had to wonder if he'd really heard such a ludicrous statement. He shook his head as if to shake off the words.

"W-what did you say?" Lita closed her eyes for a moment as if to gather strength before opening them to stare at anywhere but him.

"Guys don't fall for me." Lita spoke the words slowly even as her voice hitched in the middle. She forced the lump in her throat to go down as words flowed. "They like sweet little girls who have pretty hair and spend their days shopping for shiny things with Daddy's money to amuse their little minds.

"I fix cars for a living because my parents died. I've paid back every cent anyone's ever given me because I don't like owing people anything. I've worked hard for everything that I have today and it's made me strong." He saw the muscles on her forearms tighten as she balled her fists in her lap. "Too strong sometimes, for some guys to deal with."

Nevan watched her lift her face to him and he was surprised to see neither the harpy from hell that he first encountered at Big Mikey's Garage or the sweetly embarrassed young woman who blushed every time he attempted a come on. No, today in those emerald depths he saw a broken girl, abandoned and hardened from years of being shunned by people who decided that she wasn't refined or normal or whatever it was they were looking for. His jaw tightened.

"Fuck 'em."

Lita wasn't sure she'd heard the curse word leave his mouth so she blinked once more just in case she was hallucinating.

"You heard me." Nevan shot at her as though he read her mind. "Fuck 'em.

"I'm not sure how much punier they're making high school kids nowadays, but they sound a lot like a couple of sissies who can't handle a woman."

"This coming from the guy who thought 'something could fall and hit me' when he first met me?" Lita quipped, a growing smile threatening to dry up those tears welling up in her eyes. It had to be insane to realize she wanted to castrate this man just a few months ago. And now…

Nevan met her clearing eyes with a cool honesty that made her believe every word coming out of his mouth,

"Just because something's strong doesn't give anyone the right to knock it down."

And Lita Kingston was suddenly fairly certain that she had just fallen in love with Nevan Procella.

* * *

"…I just can't believe Kenny did that." Mina said, her prank-admiring smile notwithstanding, as she sat next to Lita at another restaurant the following night. Lita had insisted on going somewhere else for her birthday after having to explain to the rest what took place when they didn't arrive at Adastra the night before.

"It's fine." Lita said with a smile that hadn't quite left her face throughout the day. "I'll get him back eventually."

"We're so sorry we didn't spend last night with you, though." Amy said sadly.

"Don't be too sorry." Raye laughed. "She got to spend some time with her little boy toy."

Lita glared, her blush not withstanding when she looked away from them and their ensuing friendly ribbing.

Amy stifled her laughter first before suddenly saying, "Oh, Lita. Those earrings are gorgeous."

_That_ grabbed Mina's attention. "Wow, she's right. They're like…

"Little pink diamond roses." Serena finished in prideful appraisal.

'_Something as strong as she is beautiful." _Had been Serena's suggestion when Nevan dragged his closest female friend to shop for something special for his someone special earlier that afternoon. After hearing the words, he immediately fixated on an exclusive jeweler whom he had legally sworn to never again make the same rose pair for anyone.

Lita's blush deepened and it only took the rest a single beat before the teasing came out in full force.

* * *

**chickay: **Soo…yeah. I felt that this chapter was a little rushed and long [is that possible?], but one of my objectives in writing this story was to show the different ways people can fall for each other and I hope someone (anyone) can see it. Please please please review on what you liked, what you didn't like, and all the stuff in between that you couldn't decide on. I love hearing all about it no matter what.

Also, I know a lot of readers of CL are really gearing me to finish MAMC and, please believe me when I say that no one wants my original baby to be finished more than I do. That being said [please don't run away] I have to be honest, reading MAMC now is a lot like meeting that best friend you had in 2nd grade after a 10-year absence: You see a lot of what you used to love and know, but so much has happened in the years between the juice boxes and graduating, that you're essentially looking at someone you can't recognize anymore. That's what it's like for me to look at MAMC right now. I'm not saying it's a lost cause; I need to finish it up and I will. But not anytime soon and not without a hefty relook at where I want it to go, or changing a lot of what's already there, which I'm not a big fan of doing…

And for those of you who stuck around…

* * *

"So, they're official?"

"Pretty much."

"Stop smiling." Darien commanded, although he was very aware of the grin on his own face.

"I can't help it!" Serena declared, just about jumping for joy with their latest successful interventions. Some of the children at the orphanage turned around to stare at the odd girl doing her happy dance by their "big brother."

"Yes you can." Darien insisted. "Especially since you're kind of forgetting one little thing."

"And what's that, party pooper?" Serena demanded, sitting back down next to him on the steps of St. Jude's.

"Let's see, Jason's gotten suspicious, we haven't made any headway on Mina and Keith, and now that our friends are quasi-dating, there's a bigger chance of them running into each other and starting to connect the dots between you and me."

"…you call that 'one little thing?'"

"Sorry to bust your little bubble Tyler," Darien said unrepentantly, "But now everything else gets harder. And-"

"Darien?" The voice was eerily familiar to Serena and she watched Darien stand in recognition as well. Her chest was starting to pound, but she knew right then and there that it had nothing to do with what was happening to her body. Serena watched as the familiar dark buns and curls and matching lab coat come into view and felt her mouth go dry.

"There you are, Darien. I was hoping you could help me do the check-ups and Cathy told me you were hanging arou-"

Darien was oblivious to how quickly Dr. Luna Maui cut herself off as she approached him, bringing the sitting blonde at his feet to her view. The _unnecessarily familiar _sitting blonde…

"Hey, I didn't realize you were stopping by today." Darien was saying as he stood up and gave her a peck on her cheek. He followed her line of sight and interpreted her stare as one of curiosity and not impending doom.

"Oh, Luna, this is Serena." Darien said, introducing his aunt to his partner in crime, not even noticing the shock the older woman seemed to be going into. Luna stared as her mind struggled to convince her that, yes, this girl who stood by her nephew was indeed the same girl who'd she'd given a death sentence to months ago.

Serena smiled and extended a hand in greeting (the same hand that pushed her out of the elevator) like she wasn't dying, "Hello Doctor Maui."

Luna shook the outreached hand dumbly. A small frown formed across Darien's forehead as he looked at Serena. Luna watched the movement out of the corner of her eye with a faint horror that was trouncing her overwhelming distress. She watched Darien's face look over at the young girl with a soft teasing expression that hammered at her chest.

_'No, Darien.'_ _**DIK-DUN. DIK-DUN. **__'Please, not her.'_

"That's weird." Darien's voice floated into Luna's pounding head.

_**DIK-DUN. DIK-DUN.**_

"What is?" Serena glanced over at him with a quirky smile that spoke volumes of their connection. Luna couldn't do anything but stare.

"I never told you she was a doctor."

The pounding became a deafening thunderous roar as it hailed the start of a storm that Luna could only watch roll over her nephew's life.

* * *

**chickay**: ...Yup. That's it. ::happy wave:: Hope you enjoyed it enough to wait for the next round!

Until then, let me if you like what I'm doing. Or even if you don't. Honesty's the best policy…just don't wrap it with too much flaming toilet paper .

**posted: 10/24/09 **


	12. December II: The Relativity of Relations

**Cupid's Last**

**The Relativity of Relations**

**December II**

* * *

"_I never told you she was a doctor."_

_The pounding became a deafening thunder roar as it hailed the start of a storm that Luna could only watch roll over her nephew's life._

"She's wearing a lab coat and talking about doing check-ups, numbskull." Serena gave Darien a look of superiority that she usually never got to wear. "You don't have to tell me she's a doctor when I can see that for myself."

Darien considered this and felt silly for even asking the question. So he said, "…Shut up meatball-head."

And then they spent the next three minutes doing the very mature game of you-shut-up-no-_you_-shut-up. It was almost endearing. That is, except for the woman with 'L. Maui' stitched onto her coat, who watched the two with growing trepidation. But it was when Darien pulled Serena into a headlock that Luna couldn't accept the contact anymore-

"Darien!" Luna realized she'd spoken too loudly when they both looked up from their rambunctious play as if they had forgotten she was even there…or why she was basically yelling. Or at least Darien did. Dr. Maui gave a strained smile and tried not to stare at the young woman (literally) in her nephew's arms. "Darien," Luna said once more, calmly this time. "Could you get the files for the children from Cathy and put them in the clinic room? I'd like to get started."

"Yeah, sure thing." Serena felt Darien's hold on her neck loosen, but didn't try to meet Luna's gaze when she straightened up. As he turned to leave, he glanced back at her, suddenly remembering. "Wait, what about that," He glanced at Luna briefly before surreptitiously saying, "_Thing_ we have to do?"

Luna might have been curious as to what 'thing' he was talking about, but she just so desperately wanted him to leave so she could have a few words with Serena Tyler that she couldn't pay attention.

"It's fine." Serena said dismissively. "It'll take care of itself for now. We'll deal with it later today."

Darien seemed to accept this so he walked away, leaving Serena with his aunt; or rather, his partner in crime with the woman who had diagnosed her with a terminal disease.

But he didn't know that little fact, so we can't really blame him for making the bad decision. After all, he'd been making more than a few since he'd teamed-up with his nemesis. And it definitely wouldn't be his last one in the months to come.

_Clip. Clop. Clip. Clop._

Luna's heels clicked their way until the imposing woman stood over Serena. In her office, Dr. Maui had been mildly instructive and kind of funny to watch when she got freaked out towards the end of their last meeting. Now, though, less than a foot away from Serena with a rather dark expression on her face, framed by her sinister curls, Serena decided that Luna Maui was quite possibly as intimidating as Ms. Haruno, her junior high math teacher from hell who Serena saw in the occasional sugar-induced nightmare.

Except with better hair. And a good grip apparently as the older woman grabbed Serena's arm and pulled her into the children's playroom, now empty with the orphans chasing each other around on the playground. The teenager was then unceremoniously dumped onto a chair as tall as her calf.

"For a doc, you're pretty rough." She quipped, slightly nervous.

"Take your jacket off." Luna commanded, assessing the empty room and the array of toys scattered on the floor in front of the toy box.

Serena blinked as Luna grabbed another plastic chair only fit for a preschooler and sat across from her.

"Huh?"

"Take your jacket off." Luna repeated with the palest tinge of impatience. "You're overdue for a check-up."

"Isn't there some code of conduct that says you can't acknowledge your patients unless they acknowledge you in public first?" But Luna glared at her so Serena hurriedly shrugged off her pink sweater.

"You're here with my nephew." Serena could almost feel the edge in Luna's voice despite the good doctor's visible efforts to restrain the outburst she so obviously wanted to have. "I think we can loosen up on the social norms."

"Well," Serena grasped. "You tracked down my aunt!"

"Like I said," Luna raised an eyebrow (which was ticking a little actually). "We can probably loosen up on the social norms." She pulled the stethoscope from her pocket and grumbled, "I was hoping she wouldn't mention that to you."

"Trista tells me everything." Serena said proudly.

"Then she should've told you that if you talk, I can't hear." Luna replied, pulling one side away from her ear. Serena made a face like a petulant child but sat still.

A beat passed.

"I didn't know he was your nephew." Serena blurted out. The chest piece of the stethoscope hovered for only a millisecond before straightened.

"Turn."

Serena obeyed, knowing when fighting was futile. She turned awkwardly in the seat so that her back faced the doctor. She felt the chest piece touch her back and automatically straightened with the muscle memory of a child in a doctor's office.

"Breathe."

"You know," Serena tried, taking in a deep gulp and wheezing out the rest, "Conversations usually involve more than monosyllabic words."

"I'm not trying to make conversation," Luna said in a decidedly _non_-conversational tone. "I'm trying to listen to your lungs."

"There's no point!" Luna had to sit back up to avoid being smacked by a golden bun as Serena suddenly stood up. The teenager looked down at her, her face a myriad of impatience, confusion, and just a hint of something painful Luna couldn't quite pinpoint. "Look," Serena said, not looking into Luna's eyes. "I already told you that I wasn't interested in whatever treatment or cure or whatever you think you have at your hospital that could 'help' me," She mocked with corresponding quotation motions. "So there's no point in you listening to my heart or lungs or whatever, and I don't have to-"

"This isn't an attempt to get you treated, child." Luna rose to her feet with the elegance and grace only ladies could have when rising from a toddler chair. "Tell me something," Unlike Serena, she braved to make eye contact, "If your aunt really does tell you everything, then I'm assuming she's told you about her attendance in my grief counseling sessions."

Luna watched Serena's face crumble in a failing heartbeat. Delicate eyebrows turned down at the ends and furrowed in the middle. Watching Serena become confused and hurt, Luna felt bad. _'I guess Trista didn't tell her.'_ Then she thought of her nephew with this girl and the maternal instincts overwhelmed the professional guilt.

"'Grief counseling?'" Serena repeated, her voice sounding dry and cracked. Then she tried to laugh, "But I'm not even dead yet."

"Perceived and inevitable grief is almost as bad as the loss itself." Luna recited from one Profession Jenson who lectured the medical elite on death and the grief that permeated the lives it touched. Luna thought of the beautiful Trista and the heartache she exuded and Luna's voice had to soften. "Your aunt is very concerned about you, even if she might not be saying nor doing anything differently for you. She has respected your decision, but it doesn't mean that she has to like it or that she can stop the emotional consequences regardless of what your choice was.

"She's getting help," Luna coaxed when a moment passed and all Serena could do was picture her aunt crying to some perfect stranger when Trista could've just spoken to her. _'But I'm causing her so much pain!'_

Serena looked up to see Luna looking at her with compassion that she was fairly certain she didn't deserve. Wait. Did she just say her thoughts aloud? Luna sighed at her. Apparently she did.

"I told you," Luna said with a serenity she hadn't had earlier. "The feelings of grief would have hit your aunt no matter what. It's a lot of stress one way or the other, either dealing with the idea of months or even years of treatment recovery or impending dea-death." Luna stumbled over the words.

"I… didn't realize." Serena said vaguely after a long time. She suddenly blinked rapidly, like getting out of a daydream and met Luna's eyes straight on. "What should I do?"

'_Get the god damned treatment!!'_

"You can come to me occasionally, at your leisure." Luna said calmly, shoving her personal thoughts aside. "Then I or you or even both of us can tell Trista of your progress. Not knowing is something that bothers her a lot about this situation."

"You tell her." Serena said immediately. "I don't want to know."

Luna only nodded. "That's fine. However, there is something else we need to discuss." At this point, Serena could almost see the 'doctor' being replaced by the 'mother.' A warning bell went off in her head. Sorry, Dr. Maui's not in right now. But Auntie Luna's here. And she's not happy.

"Now, I don't know what," Luna struggled, "-_relationship_ you might have with Darien, but it ends now."

"No." The response was automatic and final. Luna narrowed her eyes.

"Miss Tyler, I cannot in good conscience let you carry on with him when I know what it's going to do to him in the following months."

"You're willing to potentially lose your license to practice medicine just so your nephew stays away from me?" It sounded like a scoff, but Serena knew somewhere in her mind that this woman was capable of it.

"Doctor Jacobson of the University of Pennsylvania spent two weeks of Medical Ethics regaling us with confidentiality laws and the different ways doctors could be sued for violating them." Luna retorted dryly. How wonderful it could be for her to not remember those lectures so she could have a semblance of an excuse to run to her nephew and tell him to not look at Serena Tyler like he was doing earlier because she wasn't going to be able to stay in his gaze or world for much longer.

"Believe me when I tell you I realize how deeply ingrained I am into your situation, and that I'm not about to let Darien get sucked into it. He's had enough losses in his life already and I can't stand by and watch another one happen now." Luna declared. She shifted, her stance progressively more imposing. "You are dying Miss Tyler." Serena almost snorted. As if she needed a reminder. "And I'll tell him myself if I have to, but I'm giving you the chance to do it yourself before your condition gets so bad that even he notices it."

"_I can't!_" Serena practically hollered in refusal. It was at that moment when Luna met Serena's eyes that the doctor realized what the emotion was that she hadn't been able to identify earlier.

Luna conceded that, while the girl in front of her did in fact look a lot like the one in the closing elevator months ago and the one in the picture of Trista's wallet, _this _girl's expression held something that the other incarnations didn't have.

_Desperation._

"I'm sorry, Dr. Maui." Serena apologized. "I'll come to you and do my check-ups and whatever Trista needs to keep her going, but I can't let Darien go."

"You can't seriously think of having a relationship with him when you're _months _away from _dying._" Luna tried to emphasize the words like Serena didn't already know what they meant.

"It's not like that." Serena insisted. "I swear it's nothing like what you think."

Luna tried to pick up signs of Serena lying, but couldn't. Either that or this girl truly believed that her interaction with Darien was platonic.

"I'm sorry, I really am." Serena repeated. "But I can't back down right now." Her fists tightened at her sides. "I need Darien, and I'm too close to my goal right now to-"

"You're…" Luna gaped, "-_using _my nephew?"

"No!" Serena protested then cringed when she knew she had lied. "It's-" She grasped, "It's not how you think.

"Look," She rubbed her temples and tried to explain, "I know this puts you at a bad place, Dr. Maui. But it's only for a little longer. Just," Serena said softly, her eyes genuinely apologetic that Luna knew she meant every word, "A little bit longer." But her voice was getting as weak as her excuses, which was ok, because Darien called out that the kids were ready and the conversation mercifully ended.

For now.

The door to the playroom opened and closed quietly. At the decided click, another sound went off in the empty room. A toy box shuddered for a moment before the lid lifted. A beat passed before a pair of red eyes turned to its hide-and-seek companion curiously.

"Hey," Rini nudged the taller girl. "What was Doctor Luna talking about? What does 'dying' mean?"

Hotaru Tompkins blinked, not answering, still looking at the chair that Serena Tyler had sat on minutes after she and Rini emptied the toy box to hide in it.

"I think," She began slowly, with an understanding she wasn't willing to pass on to her younger playmate just yet, "That Serena won't be coming around much longer."

* * *

It was winter break. Artemis' firm kept the Aden couple busy so, that night like it had been for the last five months, it was just Mina and Keith. She was watching TV, switching from MTV or VH1 depending on what show was on, which Keith didn't mind as white noise while he looked over his study materials next to her on the couch. Occasionally they'd make a comment on the idiocy of reality dating shows or slap a pillow at the other person when one made a mean comment, but overall, it was a quiet evening for the two.

Keith was enjoying it actually. Since Mina's birthday party months ago, his relationship with his friend had improved, if marginally. She still went out a lot on weekends, but observed his "curfew" during schooldays. He didn't stay up pacing by the door every night, but did ask that she send him a text or call or tweet or whatever to let him know she was alive if not entirely well. He also had been doing a marvelous job of ignoring Darien's "advice" from that night, citing it as a passing hallucination his best friend must've had (despite the fact that Darien made an effort to remind him of this face occasionally, like he was competent or something).

Mina, on the other hand, was having a harder time dealing with the arrangement. Sure, she had honored Keith's wishes for the most part and he _had_ been giving her freedom, but she was seriously wondering why her parents were spending so much time working. She had half the mind to argue with Artemis, Keith's older brother and essentially her parents' boss, but she was guiltily enjoying the time spent with Keith that she couldn't really bring herself to do it.

_"I say just jump him."_ Serena had quipped while painting Mina's toes bright orange a few days earlier. _"It's not like you have anything to lose."_

_ "Of course not," _Raye had intervened, tentatively touching her face mask. _"Just whatever dignity she has left after blatantly flaunting herself in front of him for the last few months anyway."_

_ "It's not like he's noticed." _Lita pointed out and sat a cupcake in front of her.

_"So the solution is to have her throw herself at him?" _Amy looked bemused.

_ "Not _throw herself_ per se," _Serena tried and grinned. _"Just do like your cheers and B-E aggressive!"_

Mina laughed at the memory of Serena and her corresponding arm motions that knocked over the bottle of nail polish remover (and were the main cause for why Serena ever made it to the cheerleading squad). Poor Lita and her currently-acetone-soaked carpet.

Keith glanced at her, curious. "What're you laughing at?"

"Nothing," She stuck her tongue out at him. "It's a secret."

"Tell me." He demanded, forgoing his tiresome studying in favor of any of Mina's secrets.

"Never!" Like she'd ever tell him her friends wanted her to jump him. Keith shrugged with a smirk, setting his book down.

"Famous last words blondie."

What followed was highly predictable. It had been done too many times on too many occasions with such lack of variation to the point that it was almost cliché. So, they should've known what was going to happen. After all, they'd watched it happen dozens of times in the romantic comedies Mina had dragged him to watch with her, and Keith had even developed a habit of making a gagging sound when the moment was going to happen.

You know what I mean: the seemingly-innocent-struggle-that-leads-to-the-awkward-physical-altercation-of-potential-love-interests.

Then again, these poor suckers weren't watching from their couch. They were on it, and Keith was on the mission of getting a secret out of an extremely ticklish Mina Aden, one that he'd undertaken dozens of times in the past and emerged victorious.

_Yeeeeeeah_, not this time buddy.

He'd started with her feet, toenails painted an insane psychedelic orange that rested in his lap. Keith tickled the soles and Mina hollered in laughter and kicked up at him. Since he knew her long legs could be quite aggressive from previous experiences, he opted to go for her belly and underarms instead. She protested and laughed in one breath.

"One last chance." Keith taunted. Mina heaved, catching her wind.

"Never!" She defied valiantly.

And thus, the battle waged on. Except this time, Mina tried to fight back as much as she could against a guy two was two heads taller than her. Legs, arms, and long hair got tangled in the ensuing raucous. Keith might've heard the faint sounds of warning bells going off in his mind, but his ears liked the sound of Mina's laughter instead. Moments later found them still on the couch, catching their breaths.

He'd landed on top of her, hands lying on both sides of her face. Mina tried to glare at him but the smile of her laughter was still etched on her face. She watched him as he continued to enjoy the afterglow of their tussle, aware that her thoughts were straying to places she'd been avoiding for a long time. Keith could make that serious face Artemis had in court, but no one could smile like Keith could in her eyes. Loose platinum strands spilled down his shoulders and she knew they would feel like silk to her fingers. Before she knew it, her hand had begun to rise.

Keith noticed the motion almost immediately but the high of laughing made him loose, less cautious.

"Mina?"

Mina reached up and touched the sides of Keith's face with her fingertips. She traced the strong angle of his jaw and she thought his face was just so beautifully proportioned that she could kiss it.

So she did. Twice. And then his mouth got her attention when he opened it in shock, so she kissed there too, pressing pink lips against a long-awaited destination. Her fingers moved from his face to run through those silver strands that she fell in love with before she even understood what the word meant. Somewhere, her mind was screaming, 'MAYDAYMAYDAY!!!' But the blood rushing to her head was louder than the mental warning, so she was able to pretend like it didn't exist.

A beat passed before it happened. Keith's mouth moved against hers. It was a barely-there motion but Mina recognized the reciprocation when she felt it and she took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Her fingers that had sewn their way into his hair clasped behind his neck. One of Keith's hands cradled her head, tilting it to an angle he found perfect.

Mina was in heaven. She sighed happily when they broke apart for an oxygen break.

"Oh, Keith."

And just like that, Mina fell from her high. Literally.

She landed with a thud on the floor in front of the couch, missing the coffee table by inches. She barely had time to mourn her sore butt when she saw Keith's feet land in front of her vision. Mina followed the feet up to his legs, torso, and chest and finally to his face. Keith had always been an expressive guy, but this was probably the first time, if ever, that she'd seen such a look in his eyes.

Disgust. Towards her. In a matter of minutes, Keith Aduro has made her laugh, love, and want to cry. It had to be record. Or that Mina was severely bipolar.

Either way, Mina stayed down as Keith swiped his mouth with the back of his hand with lingering remnants of her and walked out of the room. She sat dazed for a moment before her brain screamed at her to get up.

"Keith, wait!" The words barely left her mouth before she heard the front door open and slam shut. By the time she had reached the door, Mina heard his car starting outside, and by the time she opened it, Keith was out of her driveway.

Mina Aden stood on the Welcome mat of her home, stunned, before she found herself sitting on it, crying into her hands.

* * *

Artemis Aduro was much younger than many people thought he was. It had a lot to do with his full head of platinum blonde hair that shone silver, but part of it was the comparisons made when he was lined up next to his younger brother. Keith Aduro had been born in the winter Artemis turned thirteen. Despite the sizeable age difference, the siblings had grown closer to each other in the years to come, with Artemis stepping in as a temporary parent, then as a permanent one when Mr. and Mrs. Aduro spontaneously decided to travel the world, leaving seven-year-old Keith in the care of his "hot-shot lawyer" big brother. Artemis had risen the occasion, giving the child just enough of parental guidance along with something else many children never had: a friend.

Artemis liked to think it was his way of raising his younger brother (part guardian, part confidant and companion) that had molded the younger Aduro into the bright, joking and charismatic adult he was today. That is,

"Mina jumped me!"

…Until the said "bright, joking and charismatic adult" stormed into his office one morning. Artemis stared and blinked, as if briefly closing his eyes would erase the vision of his harried-looking younger sibling standing in front of him claiming that his childhood friend had…assaulted him?

"Good morning to you too Keith," Artemis said sardonically, reaching for his first cup of coffee to demonstrate to his brother that it was too early in the morning (if ever) to discuss raging teenage hormones.

Keith gave him a hard look and closed the double doors behind him, allowing Artemis a fleeting glance at his panic-stricken secretary who was probably worried about the morning meeting he was supposed to be attending instead of counseling his younger brother on an issue he'd had a hand in causing. A certain (Now, what did Darien call her? Oh yes) meatball-head popped into his mind.

_'Serena Tyler, I officially hate this plan.'_

"Mina jumped me." Keith repeated.

"Yes Keith," Artemis drawled. "Thank you for sharing with me and everyone else within hearing range."

And so, Keith rehashed the incident to his elder brother, who had the gall to choke on his coffee in laughter at few moments but who remained relatively unfazed. He just sat there, behind his oak desk with the name tag 'A. Aduro,' long fingers loosely intertwined and pale blue eyes almost bordering on boredom while his mouth twitched at the corners into what might have been a smothered laugh. How could he be so calm after something so monumental?

"Artemis, didn't you hear me?" Keith demanded after he'd finish and all Artemis had done was flip the front page of the newspaper on his desk.

"I heard you just fine." Artemis returned coolly. "Especially that part about you kissing her back. _That'_s going to be a great update for the next time her parents call you."

"Really? You're going to choose _now_ to be sarcastic?"

"You're having a titty attack." Artemis found the comics section. Yay! "I figure now's a good a time as any."

"_Areyoucrazy??_"

"I'm not the one still in my PJs." Artemis waved a hand at Keith's university shirt and sweatpants, rumpled from tossing and turning as he failed to get some sleep last night.

"Art," Keith tried. "I'm trying to tell you that I am having a crisis and that I need just a sliver of your oh-so infinite wisdom right now to help me through it."

"No."

"What?"

"No, Keith." Artemis said evenly, trying to focus on Garfield's antics today. "I'm not going to help you make this go away or whatever it is you think I can do."

"I need you to help me make sense of this crap." Keith tried desperately.

"What's so confusing? Mina kissed you, you kissed her back." Artemis lifted an eyebrow, amused. "It's pretty basic if you ask me."

"No it's not!" Keith almost shouted. And then, quieter, "Not for us." He took a deep breath for a moment, pushing his disarrayed hair out of his face, then remembered Mina did the same last night and dropped the hand like an anchor. He ground out, "Something's wrong with us, Art." His eyes lifted and Artemis saw his little brother scared of being punished for hitting a ball through a window all over again. Keith was lost. "And I have no idea what to do."

Artemis stared at his brother for a moment, assessing. The coffee cup was set on the table and pushed to the side. The newspaper followed.

"There's nothing wrong with you two." He announced after a moment.

"Then how the hell do you explain last night?"

"It's called mutual attraction." Artemis quipped. "You might have heard of it before."

"God, not you too." Keith groaned. "First from Darien and now you too? What? Have you two been talking about this together?"

It took years of schooling for Artemis not to keel over in sardonic laughter at the rhetorical question that hit a little too close to home than he'd ever want to tell his brother.

"Mina's never once tried crap like that on me." Keith said instead of waiting for him to reply. "She's not supposed to."

"Because…?"

"Because she's Mina." Keith said like it was the most obvious concept on the planet. "Because I've known her for years, and the Mina that I know would never even think to do something like that."

Artemis was finding it funny that Keith couldn't even say "the kiss" aloud.

"The idea of change is terrifying." Artemis allowed. "But being scared of it and running away from it doesn't change the face that it's coming. Or that it's here."

"Change I can deal with." Keith declared, a little irked. "Change, I can handle. Mina Aden making out with me on her couch while America's Best Dance Crew is on? Not so much."

"Why not?" Artemis challenged. "You couldn't honestly expect that your relationship with Mina would always be the way it is now."

"Maybe not." Keith admitted grudgingly after a moment. "But it doesn't mean that she can do something like that and expect me to be ok with it."

"What if it had been Serena?"

"…the fuck?" Was Keith's intelligent reply to the sudden, random question.

"What if it had been Serena instead of Mina?" Artemis repeated. "Do you think that things would be different it Serena had initiated the kiss instead of Mina?"

"Well, yeah," Keith stammered, confused. "Serena and I aren't like that."

"While it's true that Mina's got more years than Serena it doesn't change the fact that you all have grown up together. So, in a way, they're almost interchangeable." Artemis reasoned with a knowing look. "Aren't they?"

"Hell no!" Keith exclaimed, almost horrified.

"Why?"

"Because Mina's different."

"How?"

"She's _Mina._" Keith repeated in exasperation like he was explaining a man needed air to breathe.

"Circular logic isn't going to help things, Keith." Artemis said dryly.

"Then what will?" Keith demanded. He tried to glare at his brother but he was too tired. Keith normally never let anything bother him and he'd like to think that, Mina aside, he approached everything with a very relaxed attitude. But this…

"_Oh, Keith."_

Last night wasn't the first time Mina had said his name. But sure as hell was the first she'd said it like _that,_ and the tone had made his eyes snap open from their aroused daze. He'd seen Mina Aden under him, head tilted towards him, eyes closed in bliss, cheeks flushed pink, and pert lips that he realized he'd been gnawing it moments beforehand.

At that instant, several moments flashed through Keith's mind. Of meeting her as a toddler on a birthday party Mrs. Aden suggested to Artemis that he bring Keith to. Of wrestling with her in the mud when they were young and it was ok because they didn't understand the difference between boys and girls at the time. Of her smiling brilliantly when he told her that her hair was nice when it was long. Of the years of puberty when she grew taller than him for a year before he shot up like a bullet to be two heads taller than her. Of him getting his first car and going to show off to her because she was the first person he wanted to see. Of getting her to read his letter from law school because he was too nervous to do it himself and, her proudly announcing that he got in. He'd swept her off her feet and swung her around at the time, overjoyed. It was the first time he'd noticed that she was starting to grow body parts she wasn't born with, and the first time he'd pushed the idea of Mina being anything else to him but Mina, his friend, to the back of his mind.

The realization of the boundary he'd crossed hit him like a brick wall and knocked him to his feet, simultaneously dropped her to the floor, before practically running out the door.

He grimaced at the memory, still too fresh for his brain. Artemis watched the play of emotions on Keith's face and a thought passed through his mind as to why he hadn't seen what a barely-legal bunny-headed teenager had managed to understand in her final year of life: that his younger brother was in love with his childhood friend.

"Answer me this Keith," Artemis suddenly spoke. Keith snapped out of his reverie just as Artemis rose from his chair, meeting his brother's gaze, leveling with him. "Can you honestly stand here in front of me and tell me honestly that you're not attracted to Mina?"

"Of course Mina's attractive-"

"I didn't ask if Mina was attractive," Artemis cut in his brother's attempt to sidetrack the issue. "I asked if you were attracted _to_ her; if there was any point in time in your life that you looked at her as a woman you could love rather than the girl you've grown up loving."

A beat passed. And then another. And another. And in all those moments, Keith Aduro did not give an answer, which Artemis thought was a sufficient answer on its own. He watched Keith's hand fist at his side, much like he'd done on a rare occasion that Artemis had to reprimand Keith in his youth. After an eternity, Keith shook his head and couldn't look his brother in the eye.

"I can't." He sounded so helpless that Artemis almost felt bad.

"Can't or won't?" He challenged instead.

"What difference does it make?" Keith was getting annoyed. He needed help, not questions for questions.

"One says you walk away from her because you don't reciprocate her feelings." Artemis explained, watching his brother carefully. "The other one says that you choose to ignore them."

"I'm not ignoring anything." Keith pathetically defended.

"Could've fooled me."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I mean that you've been spending an insane amount of time at Mina's home-"

"Because your firm keeps sending her folks all over the country suing people."

"-And you can't honestly stand in front of me right here and now and tell me that she's the same girl you wrestled in the mud with." Artemis plodded on like Keith hadn't interrupted him.

The idea of Mina slicked up in mud ransacked his mind with glee and he wanted to hit someone.

"Yes she is." Keith ground out defiantly, washing the image away in his brain.

"No she isn't." Artemis shot back with a certainty that Keith couldn't deny. "The Mina you knew didn't date boys. She didn't stay out past ten. She didn't reach that age where she's acutely aware of her surroundings and her feelings. And the Mina you knew sure as hell wouldn't have had the balls to face them instead of what you've been doing for the last few years."

"What are you talking about?"

"You've been avoiding her." Artemis said simply. "Not in the sense that you lock her out of your life and put a moat around your house, but it's all the same. You've put distance between you two."

"I got into law school and she's busy having a life." Keith shrugged, trying not to care that his brother was making a point. "It's not avoiding, it's nature."

"It was a way for you to avoid seeing her for what she's become – a woman." Artemis was amused that the word made his brother cringe. "A woman [there went another cringe] who is obviously enamored by you."

"That's ridiculous." Keith tried to joke, "She can't even buy a dress in under an hour because she has no idea what she wants."

"Are you really comparing her feelings for you to shopping for a homecoming dress?"

"I'm saying that she doesn't know what she wants." Keith said, getting agitated. "And maybe today it's me, but what about the next day and the day after that? What about next year when she graduates and has to go off to college? What right do I have to be this weight on her when she can do just fine without me?"

"You're assuming that she sees you as some kind of a burden on her." Artemis said plainly.

"I'm saying that she has options. And-"

"And she chose you." Artemis gave his brother a sympathetic glance. "What's so wrong with that?"

"You mean aside from the fact that she might as well be my sister?"

"Keith, you're an idiot." Artemis blurted out. "Mina isn't your sister. She's nowhere near blood related to you. It's not like you've conducted some horrible sin that you need to atone for."

"She's a child!" Keith countered, reaching for something else to justify his ignorance.

"She's a few years younger than you." Artemis countered. "Hell, your friends are dating girls her age aren't they?"

"But it's not like that with them!" Keith argued. "They haven't spent their lives growing up like Mina and I did. It's – It's _wrong_."

"What the-" Artemis slammed a hand down on his table and stood, perplexed and just a little bit annoyed. "Look, Keith, _I_ can say she's a child. _I _can say that she's like a little sister to me. _I _can condemn her feelings if she had any towards me because _I_ haven't done anything to make her feel the same."

"Are you saying I made this happen?" Keith thundered. "Like I wanted this to happen?"

"No, you idiot!" Artemis wanted to throttle the boy. Because he was acting like one instead of the mature university student he was supposed to be. "I'm saying that after years of being together, you cannot seriously stand in front of me and tell me you have never experienced any remote level of attraction towards Mina."

"That's stupid." Keith scoffed. "You're suggesting that as long as I spend enough time with someone else that something's bound to happen."

"No, I'm not. I'm saying that if Serena had pulled something like this out of her ass, you wouldn't even be standing here because you wouldn't have experienced what you did when Mina made a move on you." Artemis said. "You wouldn't have any warring of conflicts or emotions because in your head, Serena would just be Serena and that would be the end of things. If Serena had tried that crap, you would've settled her down, grabbed a beer and called it a night instead of reacting like a five year old and running away when you saw something you were scared of."

"I am _not_ scared." Keith defended his masculinity.

Artemis narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're here, Keith," He gestured to his office. "And the last time you were here was when Jason went missing with Nevan's car."

Keith's mouth hardened to a tight line. When Anne had dumped Jason months ago in favor of his older brother Alan, the stress and shock had catapulted his friend into a state that, while Keith would never admit it to anyone else other than the man standing in front of him, worried him probably more so than the others. Barely a year older than the rest of them, Keith took his responsibility as the older "brother" probably more seriously than Artemis took his own.

"That's different." Keith didn't meet his eyes.

"No it's not." Artemis ground out. With a sigh, he sat back down, rubbing his temples. "It's not wrong for you to care for her in that way. Mina is a great girl and she's going to become a beautiful woman and you'd have to be an absolute idiot to not notice this."

"Don't you think I already knew that?" Keith's tone was bitter and desperate all at once.

"Denying that you have any feelings for her doesn't change the fact that they exist."

"Maybe." Keith conceded. "But it makes my life a lot easier."

Artemis had to chuckle. "Being lazy and a liar doesn't give you grounds to break a girl's heart, Keith." He looked down and realized he'd almost made a blunder. Ring-less fingers casually moved the papers on his table to cover the headline "LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT of SERENA TYLER" on the document in front of him. Artemis raised his eyes to stare Keith down and gave his closing argument:

"So do her and me," He said in a manner that reminded Keith of Darien standing next to him at Mina's birthday last month.

_'And everyone else,' _Artemis mentally added.

"A favor and man the hell up."

_

* * *

_

**chickay**: I feel I used a lot more narrative than dialogue but I feel it propels the story through better.

Also, I know that the MK relationship was a little unreal to some people when I introduced it. But, truth be told, this one has a very deep root for me. The transition of being friends to being more than friends is something that I've had the pleasure of watching and laughing at throughout my life. Some have ended happily and some not so much, but I always found it fascinating how a relationship could altogether change and yet still be the same somehow. I hope some understand and I hope everyone else was entertained. As for my impatient readers, don't worry. We're almost there. ;)

…But a review would certainly help speed things along.

**posted: 11/22/09 (and minor-ly edited when ff(dot)net kinda screwed with the original post)  
**


	13. Interlude: A Little Perspective

**Cupid's Last**

**A Little Perspective**

**Interlude**

**

* * *

**

_Swoosh, swish, swoosh…_

Darien watched the pigtails go to and fro, an unreadable expression crossing his face. Serena thought he looked like a creeper.

"You're looking like a creeper." _Swish_. "What is it?" _Swoosh._

"You got Jason his job." It sounded like an accusation more than a statement.

Well, _that _came out of nowhere. But it was nice that he'd figured it out on his own without her having to spell it out for him. As much as she'd called him an idiot, dummy, pea-brained and various titles to denounce his intelligence, Darien Carson was pretty observant and knowledgeable. She figured, he'd have to be in order to get into Med school.

"It wasn't very hard." Serena said after a moment before _swoosh_-ing once more_. "_I think Gramps might have suspected something, but he didn't fight me when I suggested Jason for the job."

She shrugged carelessly, referring to the title that Ryu "Old Man" Hino insisted his granddaughter Raye's friends refer to him with.

"And Amy?" Darien asked as a blond pigtail whipped by his hand for the fifteenth time.

"Was perfectly qualified for the position, more so than some of the college applicants," Serena insisted with another _swoosh._ She gave him a cheeky grin as she passed him again. "All I did was put her resume on the top of the stack."

"What about Nevan and Keith?"

"I had Arty suggest Lita to fix up Nevan's car and we tag teamed Mina's parents to let Keith stay over while they were away. Then Arty and Trista managed to hook them up with so much work that we could keep them away."_Swi-_ The chains clanged when Serena dug her heels into the sand, stopping her swing so she could eye Darien suspiciously.

He stared at her back for a moment. "What?"

"You're asking a lot of questions today."

"So?"

"You never ask questions." Serena said plainly.

"Largely because I was afraid of the answers." Darien returned. "I thought for a while that you'd blackmailed everyone involved into your little scheme."

"Well," Serena sniffed indignantly. "Not _every_one."

Darien rolled his eyes at her indulgently. Largely because he believed she'd do such a thing. In truth, he'd had a lot of these questions stirring in his mind for the past few months. It was hard not to when too many things just seemed to, well…_fall _into place whenever Serena Tyler wanted something to happen. Finding out that Artemis Aduro was in on her crazy plan had cleared up a few questions he'd had about how their friends had managed to spend an insane amount of time together, but he'd had a feeling that Serena did everything else on her own.  
"I'm just a little curious." Darien admitted.

"Remember what happened to the kitty?" She taunted.

"It was a cat," He corrected drily. "And I figure if we're working on this little project together that I should know all about your dirty little secrets. "

It might've been a trick of the light that hit Serena in the wrong way, the high noon sun playing with his eyes, but Darien could've sworn that something he could only akin to terror flashed across Serena's face at his last words. And in that instant, he had the craziest idea that there was something wrong with her and the faint pangs of his gut forewarned him to be suspicious.

Like a baby wailing at him, he didn't understand why it was happening. However, it disappeared a moment after he recognized it, replaced by a trying smile.

"Fine, Carson." Serena acquiesced. "Ask away." Darien jumped at the opportunity.

"How did you know that George guy was going to be at the Gala?"

"His name was _Greg_," Serena corrected with a roll of her eyes. "And I gave my ticket to Watson when I happened to see a guest list on Dr. Anderson's desk. I guess she didn't notice that her daughter's ex-whatever was going to be stopping by."

"And speaking of exes stopping by," Darien's looked at Serena with only slight disapproval. "I'm still curious as to how Anne figured out where Jason was staying considering that no one in his family even knew where the hell he was."

"I took one of Gramps' photos of Jason at the temple and anonymously made sure it made its way to Anne." The grin that ransacked her face could've ripped it in two. "I figured he wouldn't miss it from his stack of 'the Chronicles of Raye-Jason temple love.'"

"You couldn't have known that Anne would've sought him out." Darien pointed out.

"Jason's been missing from home for months." Serena said plainly. "Of course Anne would've reached out to him, even if she did rip his heart out. I'm sure there's some level of humanity in her that worries for that idiot."

Darien nodded, agreeing about Jason's ex-fiancé/soon-to-be sister-in-law. He never did understand their relationship, but was sure that it had a lot to do with the fact that Jason was capable of providing for Anne Dupree's high maintenance lifestyle. Why she would chose Jason's black sheep of a brother, Alan, was beyond Darien's understanding, so he chose to simply dislike the woman from a distance as all good friends should.

Like she was privy to his thoughts, Serena spontaneously said musingly,

"I don't even know why Jason dated Anne for so long." She made a face that Darien had to smile at. "I feel like half of their relationship was her spending his money."

"So because he was a tool in his last relationship you essentially shove him towards a job where he constantly uses them?"

"Cute quip." Serena glared at him before relaxing herself. "He needed a job so I shoved him in the appropriate direction."

Darien only chuckled at that, until something crossed his mind and not for the first time either.

"Why him?"

"What?" Serena asked confused.

"Why him?" Darien repeated. "I meant, why give the job to Jason?"

"You mean aside from the fact that Nevan works, Keith's in school, and Zeke does both?"

"_Why _Jason?" Darien ground out. "You could've chosen _any_one for Raye, or for the other girls for that matter. I'd really like to think that you chose my closest friends for your crazy plan on more reasons than the fact that there's four of them and four of your girlfriends."

Serena actually laughed.

"You're ridiculous," She wiped joyous tears from the corner of her eye. "No, Darien," She said flatly, "I didn't choose your friends for the simple reason that they would help me reach my matchmaking quota."

"Then why them?" Darien asked a question that had been on his mind for so long. "Did you just wake up one day and come to an amazing epiphany that our friends would be perfect for each other?"

A secretive smile spread on Serena's face. _'It was more like the day your aunt told me I was going to die, but,'_

She nodded enthusiastically. "Pretty much, yeah."

Darien stared at her incredulously, an expression that made Serena burst into another fit of giggles. He shook his head in wonderment before turning to look at her.

And he paused.

The first time Darien Carson met Serena Tyler was when a balled-up math quiz bearing the scathing red mark of "54%" bounced off his head on his way home from school. A degrading comment to the owner of the paper (a skinny little brat with a weird hairstyle named Serena), a shouting match, and a kick in his shins later, a war had begun. In the years that Darien had known the young woman, there was rarely a moment when he came within her breathing space that Serena didn't have a scowl on her face. On the rare occasion that she didn't, either she'd be sticking her tongue out at him (a sign of maturity that hadn't changed in years) or she just hadn't noticed his glowing presence yet.

Sometimes she'd be laughing with her girlfriends walking home from school or staring intently at the Sailor V video game with Mina cheering over her shoulder while her fingers fiddled furiously with the buttons to defeat digital evil aliens. This had changed in recent months, of course. But now…

Serena was looking at her feet dreamily, her sneakers making crescent-marks in the sand but not seeing them. Her lips were still quirked in that secretive smile that Darien found himself seeing a lot of recently, except today, there was something different. Like that flash of terror that he could've sworn crossed Serena's face minutes ago, Darien wouldn't have noticed the touch of softness on her face if he hadn't been spending just about every other weekend of the past few months with Serena on her escapades.

But it wasn't the softness that made Darien pause. It was that tinge of melancholy that he was starting to realize never really left this girl…

"Torture."

Darien blinked when the word left Serena's mouth, breaking him out of his reverie.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It's torture. Being the way they've been." Serena said, as if the few words explained anything.

"Tyler," Darien felt a Serena-headache creep up on him. "Please explain."

"What do you know about Dante's Inferno?" She suddenly asked, turning wide blue eyes at him.

"Not much." Darien said slowly, confused. "Just that there are levels of hell based on which of the seven sins you've committed."

"Pretty much." Serena assented, resting her elbows on her thighs and propping her chin into her hands. "Specifically, the second level of hell is reserved for those who fell to the sin of lust." She lowered her voice to a demonic level, "For all eternity, condemned lovers are thrown into an endless storm, coming within a hair's breadth of each other in the vortex, but never truly touching."

Her head tilted to the side with a jerk to illustrate, and a blonde tail fell over Darien's lap. He stared down at the curled end of the pigtail over his jeans and followed it up to his side where Serena's face suddenly faced his, less than an inch from his body. That same reminiscent melancholic smile crossed her face once more.

"For lovers who lived to be together," Serena said softly, her breath bouncing off his lips. "Don't you think it's torture?"

* * *

"That's…not so bad." Trista Millard said after a moment. She then tried to smile, but it was so wobbly that Luna looked away to allow the woman a moment to compose herself. Instead, the good doctor turned and focused on an enchanting empire-waistline gown the color of ivory with a long train that cascaded on the floor of the display stand. The design alone was lovely, but Luna knew from previous visits to Trista's shop that, upon closer inspection, the dress would have intricate beading on the bodice that A Moment in Time, her boutique, was known for. Trista's clientele was expansive, not just catering to brides and their parties, but for every beautiful occasion that called for an equally beautiful dress.

Serena's face flashed through her aunt's mind and Trista thought of the beautiful dresses she would never be able to make for the beautiful occasions Serena would never live to see. A choked sob resonated in the empty shop.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Luna." Trista apologized with a shaky laugh. She sniffed. "Please excuse me for a minute."

Luna nodded mindlessly and she soon heard Trista rise, leaving for another room to find some tissues. Very rarely did anyone cry at her bridal shop and Trista haphazardly thought she was quite ill-equipped for her own breakdown. Luna sighed, hearing the owner's fading steps.

She'd assessed Serena briefly on her visit to the Orphanage, and the girl had arrived at her office a few days ago as she promised. Blood had been drawn, x-rays had been taken and the like, all the while with Serena glancing about the examination room much like a lost child. The comparison bothered Luna a bit so she tried not to dwell on the memory.

…Or the memory of Serena's expression when she glanced at a picture of Darien on Luna's desk.

Luna shook her head. Deny as much as the teenager wanted, but Luna knew that the pained expression that crossed Serena's face had a lot more to do with than with just simple guilt over…_using_ Darien, she supposed. Truth be told, Luna still had no idea as to what Serena wanted with her nephew but, whatever the reason, she had the distinct impression that their interaction wasn't something to be publicized.

During her visit to St. Jude's Orphanage, she'd seen them, their heads bent together conspiringly, whispering hastily to each other about odd things ("We need to work on Prude and Playboy." Serena hissed. "Don't you think that Clueless and Brat need our…_attention _right now?" Darien whispered back before realizing he was being watched).

And when she didn't see them, she'd observe them instead.

Like the smiles they gave the other when their partner wasn't looking. Smiles and stolen glances that people who'd spent the better part of the past half decade terrorizing each other didn't have a right to make. Luna knew of the "Meatball-head" who Darien enjoyed aggravating and who likewise annoyed him in return, so she mentally slapped herself at not making the obvious connection in the first place.

So what, of all things, could bring these two together on such a level that made them put aside their antagonism, however briefly (Luna had seen Darien tug at one of her pigtails and Serena elbow him in return)?

Luna patted her mouth thoughtfully…

The shop bell rang, signifying a newcomer to the boutique. Figuring that Trista wasn't in the mood for dealing with a bridezilla today, Luna stood to greet the customer,

"I'm sorry, but we're taking a lunch brea-" Luna blinked. Then blanched. "_Keith_?"

* * *

He stared.

"_For lovers who lived to be together, don't you think it's torture?"_

Serena's words obviously gave Darien reason to pause and she snorted softly at him, her eyes pitying him for not understanding her train of thought.

"Think about it," She urged, backing away from him so she wouldn't be inhaling his cologne. "Our friends have been, well, _our friends_," She gestured between them, "For years. But aside from Mina and Keith, none of them knew that the others existed beforehand."

"Mina and Keith have known each other from childhood." Darien shrugged. "We were all older than you and your friends, not to mention we went to different schools on the other side of town."

"Exactly." Serena said expressively. She relinquished her swing and moved to stand in front of him. Darien chuckled lightly, noting that she stood almost at eye-level with him while he still sat.

"Darien, can you imagine that?" She sounded amazed and appalled all at once. "Here are these people who are perfect for each other-"

"According to you." Darien interrupted with a smirk.

"-And they don't even realize it!" She finished triumphantly, "How horrible is that?"

He shook his head, repeating, "Once again, this is all according to you. I'm still under the impression that you just hooked them out because it was convenient."

"'Convenient?'" Serena managed to sound like she was laughing at him without actually laughing at him.

"Yeah," Darien defended. "You made couples based on their needs. Jason needed a job and the temple had an opening. Nevan needed his car fixed and Lita just happened to be available and so forth." He crossed his arms and attempted to look smug from his swing.

"Who's to say that they're 'perfect for each other' when you put them together out of coincidental dependence-?"

Serena's short bark of laughter stopped his reasoning. He frowned.

"And what the hell is so funny?"

"Coincidence had nothing to do with it." Serena declared with a touch of mystery after laughing at him for a little longer, "Everything leading up to this, to the relationships that our friends have with each other, has had roots and reasons from long ago."

Serena met his eyes unwaveringly, her conviction more steadfast than anything Darien could claim as she spoke,

"_This_, Darien, is fate." She smiled crookedly. "We're just the mediums helping it hurry the hell up."

* * *

"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

"I'm sorry." Luna said sheepishly. "You just look like someone I know."

"That's fine." The man with an older version of Keith Aduro's face smiled kindly at Luna as he continued to walk into A Moment in Time. He cocked his head to one side inquiringly, not moving from the doorframe. "Although I have a younger brother with that name."

"Keith? Keith Aduro?" Luna supplied curiously. The resemblance couldn't be _that_ coincidental.

"Yes." The man at the door seemed to smile. She couldn't tell with the light streaming in so violently behind his tall figure. "That's him."

Artemis Aduro shifted, moving forward into the shop. As he did, Luna could see that he was dressed unconventionally in an all-white suit. Paired with his long silvery hair, the sunlight illuminated him from behind like he was some godly deity.

As he moved closer so the shades of mortality could overshadow him, Luna felt her jaw drop.

Artemis maintained eye contact with the woman and smiled pleasantly. Dimly, he noted that she had a slight accent. British, he concluded. Huh, how about that.

The foreign lilt brought a pleasant memory of good friends, too many drinks and specifically a pretty giggling brunette with gorgeous curls he'd met in London during his first year in college when he studied abroad for a semester. They'd bonded over a bottle of Duvall that he'd spontaneously spotted for her eighteenth birthday that would be hailed at the stroke of midnight, and the fact their names were different conjugations of ancient cultures' Moon goddess.

"It's like," She'd hiccupped adorably. Or at least Artemis _thought_ it had looked adorable behind his beer goggles. "We're two sides of the same coin." She suddenly squealed happily, attracting the attention of by-passers on the street. "Ohmygosh, it's like you're my soul mate!"

The memory made him smile. It was ironically his last carefree year in college since he came home to find a child-Keith waiting to be taken care of courtesy of his absent-minded parents. Artemis mentally laughed at the coincidence. How funny. This woman sitting on Trista's couch was also a British brunette with curls…

Two pairs of eyes widened drastically in almost-immediate recognition despite over a decade since a one-time incident. They shouldn't have recognized each other.

"Oh, my-"

But they did.

"-bloody. _fuck!_"

The words blasted out of Luna's mouth like water from a hose on a California wildfire.

The last time such words left her mouth was fifteen years ago when she stumbled to the breakfast table after her first night hammered off her arse, and found her mother seething over the society papers, the front page prominently displaying her only daughter snogging the hell out of some tall, blond random American with a dire need for a haircut. To say that Nehelenia Maui was not pleased was the understatement of Luna's short life.

And as such, Luna heard the low hiss come from her mother's voice pass her own lips,

"What _the hell_ are you doing here?"

* * *

"I'm pretty sure the only thing I'm here for is to collect a favor from you."

Serena glared at Darien disapprovingly. He gave her that trademark condescending grin that she had been training herself not to smack.

"Don't remind me." She muttered, remembering the deal that she had made with this devil months ago: _"One day, tomorrow or next year or maybe in ten years, I'm going to tell you to do something and you will do this without asking."_ The time span, actually, had been bothering her. A dark thought crossed her mind…

Darien watched as Serena cleared her throat awkwardly, not meeting his eyes.

"You know," She spoke haltingly as she kicked at the sand at her feet, creating a small storm. "You should probably let me in on whatever that favor is."

"Why? You planning on backing out?"

"Of course not," Serena scoffed a little too quickly. She cursed herself when she watched Darien's brow furrow in budding suspicion. She tried to seem nonchalant, "I'm just saying, you know, that a little notice would be nice. I might be able to deliver if I don't have to time to…prepare, I guess." '_Before it's too late.'_ She slapped down her thoughts before she could make them known.

Darien frowned, eyes curious and searching. "Why?"

"Just, just because!" She grasped. God, why was he so damn nosy today?

Darien snorted. "Yeah, right." He said dismissively.

His carelessness sparked her anger.

"Haven't you even considered that I might not be there to do whatever it is you want me to do?!" She suddenly demanded, an outburst that she regretted the instant Darien turned to look at her with quizzical eyes that held too many questions than she knew she could answer.

A beat passed like a note held for too many bars.

"Serena," He began slowly. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

She turned to look at the monkey bars. "No."

"Then why are you talking like you won't be around?" He asked, unrelenting. "It's not like you're dying."

"I was talking about college, you nitwit." Serena thought quickly, throwing out the one thing that she hadn't considered in months, largely because she had no right or need to do so.

Darien seemed startled by the concept. "Oh yeah," He suddenly turned to her with a surprising smile. "You're graduating this year." He let out an amused chuckle. "You planning on leaving us Tyler?"

The expression his partner's face molded into wasn't like the terrorized one he'd witnessed earlier, but that nagging feeling in his gut began tugging at his conscious once again.

"Yeah, something like that." Serena murmured faintly. "And who knows?" She started up again, upbeat, turning to him with a smile. "I might even get into a good school and get far, far, _far _away from you." She laughed.

Darien's eyes were still assessing her but he accepted her (slight pathetic excuse for a) rationale. He nodded after a moment.

"You could pull it off." He said, partly musingly, partly encouragingly. "Your grades were never too horrible." He suddenly made a face. "Minus math. _That_ was the worst I've ever seen Zeke go through." He said, remembering the multiple nights Zeke didn't get sleep through because he had to tutor Serena who had a tendency to be, well, a little on the ADD side whenever it came to matters of schoolwork.

"I wasn't _that_ bad." Serena said defensively.

Darien laughed. "You made him _cry_!"

* * *

"I did _not_."

"You did too. You grabbed my face right outside the Paulson and Sons Pub and-"

"Oh yes," Drip, sarcasm, drip. "Because you were just _so pliable_ to a teenager five inches shorter and twenty pounds lighter-"

"Hey! I was a teenager then too!"

"Could've fooled me with your hair looking like my grandfather's."

"-Which is a pretty good testament to your level of inebriation if you were hitting on a guy looking like your pappy."

"Oh, y-y-you, PIG!"

And Trista couldn't hold it in anymore. She laughed. Roared uproariously, actually, like she'd wanted to since she walked back into the store's foyer and found Serena's lawyer and doctor hissing at each other like combative alley cats.

All they were missing were the standing hairs on their backs and wagging tails.

She'd manage to coax them into opposing chaises and allowed herself to sit back, relax and enjoy the show. Luna's news about Serena's health hadn't been uplifting but Trista was grateful for _any_ news at this point, even if it meant she'd need to sniffle for a few minutes in one of her dressing rooms. In truth, this little exchange between professionals could be considered akin to a perfectly timed diversion. Not to mention amusing.

Like watching a Spanish _novela_ with only a beginner's understanding of the language, Trista had managed to get the gist of why her associates were aggravating each other with simply their presences. Apparently, once upon a time in London, two teenagers had internationally and "drunkenly snogged" (according to Luna, whose accent seemed to be getting thicker as the two argued) each other on a public street. One of these teenagers was apparently a debutante of London society, whose somewhat aristocrat-y parents were understandably less than pleased when their daughter's escapades were splashed on society papers and murmured about at clubs.

Luna threw darts at the picture of them making out for two weeks after the event.

"But it wasn't my fault." Artemis reasoned. His mind was spinning. What were the odds of meeting his Roman counterpart in a bridal shop?

The implications struck him as bizarre and too coincidental and-

Artemis started in his seat so quickly and violently that Luna stopped before she could finish her rebuttal. His eyes had widened in such a way that was so similar to the recognition he'd given her earlier, but this was different.

He had looked at Luna with shock. As he raised his head from whatever realization he'd suddenly garnered, he looked flat-out flabbergasted.

Keith Aduro's big brother looked up and gave Trista a dirty look that he wanted to send her niece.

"Artemis?" Trista questioned after a moment of silence, wondering what turn this soap opera was taking now.

"I might be going crazy," He said slowly. "But I think that Serena just made me into one of her targets."

* * *

"You exaggerate."

Serena stuck her nose up snootily, ignoring Darien's remark on her intelligence. He only snorted in reply.

"Right." He rose from his swing, easily towering over Serena's short stature. Absentmindedly wiping his hands on his back pockets, he said, "So what's on today's agenda? Tailing?"

"Nope." Serena grinned at him as she walked backwards off the playground.

"Oh," Darien rolled his eyes like that was obvious. "So we're blackmailing – oh, my bad – I meant '_slyly coercing_' poor strangers into your crazy plan instead?"

"Uh uh." Serena shook her head as they began to walk side-by-side on the park's pathway. "And it's _our_ crazy plan." She pointed out. Idly, she remembered that this was the same park Darien kissed her in months ago. The incident hadn't managed to repeat itself since then, but she half-wondered if it would today – or ever. She glanced up at him, strong-jaw and all, and thought it wouldn't be so bad if it did.

Then she felt a pang in her chest that reminded her of at least one reason why she couldn't let that happen. Why now? She touched her chest lightly, still walking steady.

"No, my dear Eros. Today, we are going to sit back and watch the show."

"Which one?"

"To the temple where we are going to watch the latest episode of the Chronicles of the Raye-Jason love."

"I hope you're not sending Anne out there again." Darien grimaced. "I think it really messes with him."

"Puh-lease." She snorted, as she spotted his parked bike. She wiped her forehead, realizing that she was sweating. "I don't like repeating acts. No, today we're stepping things up a bit."

"You know," Darien groaned. "'Stepping up' sounds really painful when you say it. Like going from handling a Swiss-army knife to firing a bazooka, I have to worry."

He reached his bike and swung himself over like the cool badass he was.

"Come on, Cupid," He grinned, switching the engine one and loving the roar beneath him. "We've got a set of poor souls to meddle with."

When she didn't answer, he raised her head, prepared to scold her for being distracted with a pretty flower or whatever shiny thing that managed to get her attention today.

He never got to.

Instead, Darien saw her standing a short distance away. Except she was turned away from him, a hand to her chest. He would've plowed through with his teasing and told her to hurry up so they wouldn't miss 'the show,' had he not focused on the hand itself and the way that it literally clawed into the front of her shirt.

Darien swallowed thickly even though a rational part of his brain told him he didn't have any reason to worry, that maybe she just having heartburn or something. After all, she did eat three scoops of ice cream earlier.

But the idea fled from his mind as Serena turned and he saw that her face had contorted into a grimace of pain that Darien knew (without a shadow of a doubt) had nothing to do with brain freeze.

"Serena?" He called out cautiously, moving a leg to dismount from his bike. He moved slowly towards her, somehow thinking that if he moved too quickly, he'd break her.

If she heard him, she made no indication of it, staying where she was, still clutching at her chest wearing that agonized expression that scared him a little more than he could've anticipated.

Then she fell.

The part of Serena that wasn't in complete pain informed her that it would hurt to hit the gravel beneath her feet, but she never got to know for sure. One second, she was about to smack into the ground, and the next, the sky was somehow before her eyes.

"Serena!" Darien was yelling and his panicked voice was so close to her somehow. But he was by his bike earlier…

She gasped and wheezed uncontrollably, raising her head, which felt like such a life-or-death struggle when all she wanted to do was curl into a little ball, and suddenly saw his concerned face swimming in her vision. "Serena!" He shouted, placing a hand to her cheek trying to shake her out of…_whatever_ this was. "Serena, are you ok?!"

He'd caught her just before her knees slammed into the ground and cradled her in his arms, where she was making these noises that told him something was horribly, horribly wrong.

"D-Darien," She struggled to say. "Ple-please-" He looked so worried, so confused. And scared.

Serena felt herself slipping. She opened her mouth and tried to tell him, to explain to him, do _some_thing to make that expression on his face go away because it bothered her so much to see him so upset.

She managed just fine, until another jolt shot through her, and she couldn't stop herself; not from throwing her head back or the shriek that ripped her throat when she did.

Then Serena saw black. And Darien's hand met a sick, liquid red.

* * *

"What is going on here?" Luna demanded between Trista and Artemis.

Trista, too, peered at Artemis questioningly.

"Are you sure?" She asked enigmatically, genuinely confused.

"How else do you explain this?" Artemis gestured between him and Luna emphatically.

"I agree it's a little," Trista grasped for the proper word, "Coincidental-"

"That's putting it lightly." Luna muttered, cutting in and wishing she had a margarita to gulp to emphasize her point.

"-but Serena hasn't actively sought out Luna." Here, Trista stopped herself short. "At least, not for the reasons you're thinking of."

"What?"

"Luna here is Serena's doctor." Trista explained patiently.

At that piece of information, Artemis snapped his head towards Luna so quickly that she thought he might've gotten whiplash. What an odd man. Fifteen years ago, he'd damaged her reputation. Twenty minutes ago, he'd been surprised at her. Less than five minutes ago, he'd been astounded. And now, he just stared at her like she'd sprouted cat ears with a matching tail and gone "Meow".

Lord, he was a strange one.

_**DIK-DUN.**_

Luna began to get that feeling of trepidation again, much like she did when she'd encountered Serena Tyler at the orphanage being too close with her nephew. So many questions ran through her mind. Did this man know Trista personally to be acquainted with Serena? Wait. If so, then did Keith know of her as well? And what was this business with 'targets?' Did Serena like to shoot things? And why did Luna feel like her role in that girl's life was just elevated somehow?

She opened her mouth to ask one of such questions but the roar of a motorcycle cut her off.

An _all-too familiar_ roar, for that matter. One she heard every time they got together for a family dinner and signaled her nephew's arrival. Through the window pane of the shop's front, she could make out her nephew, Darien's body on top of his motorcycle and the head of two unmistakable blond buns.

"Shit."

Did that actually come out of Trista's mouth? The well-bred designer rose to her feet in a flash of green-black hair, a hand reaching out to grab Luna's arm.

"W-What?"

"Luna, you have to leave." Trista whispered hastily. "Darien can't know that you're here."

"B-But-"

"You too Artemis." Trista hissed to the lone man.

"What? Why me?"

"Because single men don't show up at bridal shops by themselves!"

He pointed an accusing finger to Luna. "_She's_ single too!"

The argument that could've started never got a chance to begin. For at the heels of Artemis' words, the bell of the front door chimed and all three adults turned, bracing themselves for the accusations and yelling that was about to ensue.

But the only sound that they could hear was that of the labored breathing of the sole being that walked into the shop.

Three pairs of eyes watched as Darien Carson stumbled in to A Moment in Time with Serena Tyler's body hanging lifelessly in his arms.

Cobalt eyes bore into all of them and none of them all at once, pleading to any who could/would listen,

"Please." He tried to catch his breath, hands involuntarily tightening their hold on the body they held.

"_Please help her._"

* * *

**chickay: **

First and foremost:

_**MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL WHO CELEBRATE IT!!**_ I hope your holidays are amazing. I know mine was/is and I hope my "little present" brightens your day if a lil ethanol-spiked egg-nog can't.

And I would like to take this time to let it be known that, even if I've demanded reviews at every update, I've realized that I've neglected to do something as equally important: _Thanking people_ for such reviews. As such,

**THANK YOU ALL for your in/direct encouragement! Your comments/ criticisms/ encouragements really keep me going and I can't thank you enough for that.**

Also, I don't know if anyone noticed the return to the writing style of A Pretty Mess but I hope you liked it regardless.

And (sorry to crush the hopefuls), yes, I AM ending it here. No bonus stuff this time. But don't worry. We've got two more chapters of December left. But will Serena be there to see them through? (Eh, maybe) Still curious? You should be and if you are/n't, you know where you can reach me. **hinthint**


	14. December III: Quality Time

**Cupid's Last**

Quality Time

December III

* * *

Serena was straddled on his bike, facing him.

With (maybe) any other girl, in (almost) any other situation, it would have been an arousing position that would've made Darien grin from ear to ear. At the moment, however, his mouth was pressed into a muted line, murmuring words into his passenger's ears; the same words, in fact, that he'd been saying over and over again since he'd zoomed out of the park in a panicked cloud of exhaust,

"Hang on, Serena. I'm here, I'm here."

Darien had caught her before she could crack her skull on the pavement. And Darien, like the jackass Serena expected him to be, stared at her for a moment, half-expecting her to suddenly sit up and scream, "GOTCHA!" with that giddy laugh of hers.

But when she didn't, Darien had all but sprinted for his motorcycle, positioning her in front his body and bracing her, all the while calculating how quickly he could get to the hospital because he knew he couldn't sit still holding her non-responding body waiting for someone else to save it.

And so he speeds on the road at over 10 miles the legal limit and he holds on to her tightly because he's worried (scared super shitless out of his mind actually) that she could fall (and break) from his grasp, and it suddenly hits him (like a piano dropping on his chest from the top of the Empire State Building) that Serena Tyler (his nemesis, his partner, his friend – although he doesn't know when _that_ happened) is important to him. But not like the I-have-an-exam-on-Monday important, but the kind of important that makes him think I-will-miss-_all_-my-exams-for-the-rest-of-the-semester-if-she-would-just-

"_Wake up_. Please," God, was he actually pleading? "Just wake up, Serena."

And he repeats this phrase with a lot of "Hang on"s (even though _he _was the one that needed to hold on) and "It's okay"s (even though it clearly _wasn't_) and several other reassuring words that he knows she can't hear but he says them anyway against the force of the wind because _he_'s the one that needs to hear them too.

Then, two red lights and about four illegal turns later, he hears something else.

And it sounds female…

Darien gave a small curse as he missed slamming headlong into a street lamp by one flailing, blonde pigtail as he pulled off the side of the road. For the first time since he caught her at the park, Darien pulled Serena away from his body and nearly died of relief.

"D-Darien?"

And even though she's wincing and clearly in discomfort, Darien can't think of any other time she looked better than she did now: just _alive_, looking at him, her mouth parting to say,

"What the hell happened?"

The voice of an angel with a mouth of a sailor. And man did it feel good to hear.

"I could ask you the same thing." He shot back and restrained himself from crushing her with a relieved hug. "You passed out and fell."

Serena blinked, as if suddenly remembering. "…Oh."

"'Oh?'" Darien repeated, incredulous. "That's _all_ you have to say?"

Serena glared and he was relieved to see it. It meant she was okay enough to be irritated at him.

"Would you prefer, 'thank you, my stud-muffin?'"

The beginnings of a cracked smile formed on his face despite her attitude. "I'll take an explanation over gratitude right about now."

"Well too-oo-" She faltered and Darien frowned as Serena clutched at her chest once more. Not a good sign.

"Shit." He muttered. "Do you think you can hang on to me? The hospital's just-"

"NO!" Serena shouted the word so quickly that Darien was actually a taken back. She repeated adamantly, "No. No hospitals."

"You're sick and coughing up blood." Darien countered tersely, just a _little_ irritated and bewildered that she was _still_ arguing with him. Jesus. "You need to get to the hospital now."

"No." She repeated once more, this time not as harsh as earlier. "Please, Darien. Please, no hospitals."

And he opened his mouth to argue with her but stopped short. Serena was staring at him with huge, watery blue eyes that were just a little too desperate for him to fight back against.

He sighed, a little lost. "I have to take you _some_where Serena." He insisted. "You're clearly sick."

As if God wanted to prove Darien's point, Serena began coughing up another storm. Darien's arms went around her instinctively to brace her.

"…time."

"What?" Darien pulled away, certain she had just said something in between her coughs.

"A Moment in Time." Serena wheezed out the name of her aunt's shop. "We can go the-"

Here, the coughs seemed to overwhelm her once more and she slumped forward once more, falling forward to rest her head on his chest…

* * *

"Let me go, Art." Darien pressing against Artemis' chest, trying to look over his _very_ tall shoulder. Geez. Was Keith gonna get this freakishly tall too?

"I'll let you go once you stop crushing my arms." Artemis gestured to the sides of his arms which Darien clutched to in a vise-like grip.

"I'll stop crushing your arms if you move the rest of your body out of my way!" Darien retorted, backing up nonetheless. He gave Artemis a frustrated glare and ran a hand through his hair agitatedly for maybe the twelfth time in the last half hour.

Darien had carried Serena's unconscious body into the shop and had resolutely refused to hand her off to anyone. It took a maternal glare from Luna to get him to lower Serena onto a couch in Trista's private office, where the women had locked themselves into now.

Artemis felt a twitch in his eye. Between Keith's romantic epiphany, Darien's overreaction, and Serena's continuous (and slightly psychotic) demands, he was steadily losing his patience and a good bit of his sanity to boot.

"I'm not going to move out of your way because if I do," Artemis continued in a calming low and slow voice, "You're going to storm into that room," He gestured to Trista's office where Luna was treating Serena however way she could. "And get in the way of whatever it is your aunt is doing to take care of Serena. And I know," He hastily added before Darien could assert himself. "That you're worried for her, but I'm sure your aunt has it under control."

* * *

Even when everything in the hospital goes to crap, the professionals working in them are supposed to maintain a certain standard of … reliability.

Sigh. "Damnit."

Needless to say, cursing in front of a client while their niece is passed out in front of her isn't really part of that standard.

"Luna, please don't do that." Trista made the words come out as a simultaneous plea and warning at the same time. She smoothed Serena's brow. "At least not when I'm within earshot."

"I'm sorry," Luna mumbled distractedly, gazing down at Serena, eyes closed, breathing labored. She bit her lip, thinking, before turning to Trista.

"Look," She said. "I know Serena said no treatments but you _must_ have _some_thing. _Any_thing that you've used for her-"

"Left cabinet," Trista didn't miss a beat, nodding to her desk. "Bottom drawer, behind the whiskey."

"Whiskey?" Luna smiled wryly. "I had you down as a wine woman."

Trista brushed Serena's bangs out of her face and remarked softly, "Life's just full of little surprises."

* * *

"What _are_ you doing here anyway?"

Artemis wanted to groan. He'd spent about two minutes wrestling Serena from Darien's grasp after he'd walked into the shop, and an additional ten arduous minutes trying to calm Darien down …only for Darien to direct his attention on another potentially damaging piece of evidence: Artemis' presence.

"For that matter," Darien went on slowly. "What's Luna doing here too?"

Oh, what _was_ that sound? Why, it almost sounded like the proverbial fan was beginning to whirl riotously, just waiting for shit to hit it…

Artemis didn't look at him directly,

"I have no idea."

Oh, and look, the crap was coming out of Artemis' own mouth. How sweet.

"But you _were_ talking to her."

"No I wasn't." Artemis defended as convincingly as his own brother's denial of affection for Mina Aden.

"Art, I walked in on you with her."

"Don't phrase it like that," Artemis grimaced. "It sounds wrong."

Darien paused for a moment, scrutinizing Artemis. The elder man held his breath, waiting for another accusation… until Darien seemed to assent and turned away, looking at the door to Trista's office once more.

"What's really wrong," Darien said slowly, "Is that you're taking me for an idiot."

Artemis froze, partially aware that he probably had a deer-caught-in-headlights expression on his face. Darien's own face was a mixture of frustration and anxiety as he demanded,

"What the hell is going on Art?"

* * *

"You passed out for a little bit." Trista said as she helped Serena sit up. Serena nodded, dazed.

"I figured." She replied, reaching for the glass of water. "I was a little more curious as to why _she_'s here."

Luna gave the finger Serena pointed at her a disdainful look.

"Good afternoon to you too Miss Tyler." She said dryly.

"Dr. Maui was visiting me." Trista explained. Serena gave a crooked smile.

"Giving the weekly report, Doc?"

"I was," Luna said tersely. "Until you showed up passed out in my nephew's arms."

Serena swallowed. "Yeah, about that-"

"Your nephew?" Trista cut in surprised, looking from Luna to Serena. "Serena, I thought you said that you were working with that horrible boy that snipped off one of your pigtails three years ago."

"Yes, that would be my nephew Darien." Luna replied with a sigh. "If it makes you feel any better, Trista, this," She cleared her throat, "'Meatball-head' as Darien referred to her, retaliated rather nicely by tossing a balloon filled with Nair at him."

"Oh yes," Trista nodded thoughtfully. "I remember that call from their principle." She made a face. "She _wasn't_ happy."

"Almost as happy as Darien was when he had to walk around with his right eyebrow singed off."

* * *

"It's not my place to say."

"You can say _something_ can't you?" Darien insisted, glaring. He'd had a feeling something was rotten with Serena asking him for help months ago. His suspicions had been solidified in the recent weeks with too many things falling into place whenever Serena wanted it. And now she was sick and too many people were at this shop to be a coincidence.

"…Serena." The last of Artemis' words shook him out his thoughts.

"What?"

"I said," Artemis repeated, rubbing his temple. "Ask Serena. Whatever explanations you want, only she can give them to you."

Darien stared at him for a few moments until the young man realized that Artemis wasn't going to give him anything more. So he swiped his hand through his hair (again) and tiredly announced,

"I just want some answers, Art."

Then Artemis finally looked at him and Darien felt himself cringe inwardly. The older man's mouth was twisted into a faintly pitying smile,

"Not to the questions you're looking for."

And then the door Darien had been boring his eyes into swung open…

* * *

"Wait wait!" The bell chimed over his head as he opened the front door and chased after her. "Serena, hang on!"

"Come on Darien." She called over her shoulder at him like nothing was wrong. "We still have work to do. True love can't happen without its mascots!"

He reached out and grabbed her arm, "I said 'wait' woman!"

"What?" Serena turned on him, exasperated. "Come on, we're already delayed as it is."

"Are you seriously going to pretend like nothing happened?"

She shrugged carelessly. "Nothing did happen."

He stared at her. "You pass out like a log, spitting blood at me and then I find my aunt and Keith's brother in _your_ aunt's shop?" Darien released her arm and looked at her intently. "Serena, I'm not an idiot. What the hell is going on here?"

For a moment, he expected her to continue her charade and keep lying to him; to joke off what just happened and attempt to change the topic once more like she'd been doing to him for the past few months. But this was Serena. And she never really did things the way he expected her to.

"It's nothing you need to worry about." She replied calmly, and a warning bell went off in Darien's head; because Serena was never even-headed about_ anything_.

He crossed his arms stubbornly,

"_I'll_ decide that."

"No you won't." Serena's tone was stern and a stubborn glint hit her eyes as she met his gaze head-on, unwavering, steady... Un-Serena-like.

"Look, Carson, you've got two choices." She told him flatly. "You can either get on this bike with me and we can go to the temple like we planned. Or you can walk back into the shop and ask questions you don't need the answers to."

"How do you know that I don't need those answers?" He demanded.

"Because they won't change anything." She returned like it was the most obvious thing on the planet.

"I'll be the judge of that." He threw at her, shifting to walk straight back into the shop and demand some explanations for something that apparently everyone else knew about except him.

"You turn around and our deal is done Carson."

He stopped, mid-turn.

Was she serious? A quick look at Serena's face told him she wasn't joking. Her eyes were steady, her lips pressed to a grim line. But he was too shocked at the ultimatum that he asked dumbly anyway,

"What?"

"You promised to help me out with my plans." She reminded him plainly. "If you walk away now, I'll consider our deal null and void."

Of all the ridiculous things to bring up now of all times!

"…Are you serious?"

"Very." She replied with no hesitation. "So either come with me or go to them. But the second you walk back in there, I'm gone and we're over."

A few months ago, he would've kept walking even after such a ludicrous challenge. But Darien knew it, he _felt_ it, as tangible as her limp body was in his arms just an hour ago; she was serious. And she wasn't just talking about their project. Serena's words had a finality to them, like the last words of a book, with only blank spaces ahead of it, forewarning of the hollow future, empty, "the end", with only the 'thump' of the hardcover left to hear when you shut the book close. But it was such a silly idea that Darien could only stare at her.

And he kept staring. As if by staring at her shuttered face, the answers to all his questions would magically come out of thin air in front of him. But they didn't. So he had to ask at least once more,

"…What the hell are you hiding Serena?"

He watched her swallow the truth thickly. Then, she said quietly,

"…Get on the bike." And he saw how her hands fisted on either side of her thighs as she added even quieter, "_Please Darien_."

And he walked towards her. And he passed her the helmet he didn't have time to put on her earlier. And he straddled his bike and waited for her to climb behind him as he tugged on his riding gloves.

And when she placed her arms around his waist, he allowed one hand to briefly (very _very_ briefly) to pose over her clasped hands, silently assuring himself that she was still there and still holding on to him.

And he told himself to let this go for now. Because when she had said,

"_Get on the bike." _

He knew she was really saying,

"_Come with me please."_

And he revved up his bike, drove away from A Moment in Time with three all-knowing silhouettes standing at the window, and pushed aside the pressing questions in his mind because he somehow knew that Serena was going someplace bad. And he knew that if she was…

He squeezed the clasped hands underneath his gloved fingers lightly.

…Darien knew he couldn't let her go alone.

* * *

Raye's favorite color was red. Her mother wore it a lot when she was alive and Raye remembered thinking that Risa Hino looked beautiful when she did. It was a sensual, passionate color that, when paired with her jet black hair and cat-like violet eyes, turned Raye into the ultimate symbol of exotic seduction.

But at the moment...

"I don't understand what the problem is."

Raye couldn't help but think it was a _really_ gross color.

"I just asked if you knew where Jason was." Ms. Anne Dupree (soon to be Mrs. Alan Exuro) tucked a strand of amber-red behind her ear. Raye followed the motion, watching the ring on Anne's ring finger glitter at her. The teenager crossed her arms in front of her chest and bluntly said,

"I think you should stop coming here." Anne's eyes narrowed at her.

"Ex_cuse_ me?"

"I said," Raye repeated, unfazed. "That I think you should stop coming here. I don't really know the full story about your relationship with Jason, but I can see what it does to him every time you decide to pay him a visit." She said, watching Anne's body stiffen and those hazel eyes become deadly slits. Raye met the glare and raised a haughty eyebrow at the woman. "He doesn't want to see you, let alone speak with you. If he was anyone remotely important to you, you'd honor his wishes."

Anne stared, clearly appalled. Who was this, this... _child _to speak to her like this? Tilting her pointed nose back, she assessed the little trollop. She was younger than Anne, probably still in high school, she scoffed. But those wise eyes and striking bone structure unnerved Anne, especially as she stood her ground (on her grounds to boot) telling Anne to go away.

"You're right." Anne began slowly. "You have no idea what our relationship is like so you really shouldn't be making commentary on it."

"I'm not making a commentary," Raye returned without hesitation. "I'm just making a suggestion based on the facts. Jason doesn't like it when you come around, so: stop. coming. here."

The last words were said as if she spoke to a mentally retarded turtle, and what little patience Anne had snapped.

"Listen, you little brat," Anne spat out, "I really don't think you're in any position to tell me what-"

"You're marrying his brother." Raye said flatly, slapping down Anne's rant before it even had a chance to take off. "I don't have to be in any position to know that you're pretty cruel to keep coming back here to see him after essentially stabbing him in the back then pouring salt into the wounds."

"How dare you-"

"I can dare to do whatever and say whatever I want because it's a free country." Raye cut her off, advancing on the older woman with hands on her hips. "I can vote, pierce my left cheek, run around in my underwear, and right now, I can tell you to get the hell off my property."

Raye's smile grew into a triumphant smirk as Anne took off after a minute of sputtering about 'disrespectful children.' She crossed her arms and made sure Anne got into her chauffeured car before allowing herself to relax. This was the third time Anne had come back after her last visit to the temple. Jason had taken up avoiding his ex-fiancé instead of confronting her. For all the carefree energy that blond idiot exuded, their last 'reunion' had apparently taken a lot of emotional effort than he was willing to dish out a second time.

And that's where Raye came in.

"You don't have to keep chasing her off you know," A voice from above said. "Eventually she'll just run out of steam and take off."

"Don't get any ideas." Raye turned around and shaded her eyes. "I only chase her off because she scares away the children when she's glaring and pacing back and forth looking for you."

Jason tried not to smile too widely at her excuse and twisted the hammer in his hand from the temple's roof. Raye ignored the fact that she didn't want to punch every smile off his face nowadays and settled for addressing his latest task.

"How's it going?"

"It's going." He replied, referring to the roof Raye had asked him to fix. He nudged a few shingles at his feet and assessed the patch he was working on. "I think I've got enough to fix up this area and we'll have some leftover in case we need them."

"You mean in case you decide to drop in on one of my baths again?"

"For the tenth time," Jason said, exasperated, "I saw Anne at the temple and needed to hide."

"Hiding from a girl." Raye's lips settled into a smug smile. "What's wrong Jason? Afraid you might catch something?"

"Yup. My last cootie shot was in the fourth grade."

"Seeing as how you've still got the maturity of an eight-year-old, maybe it still works."

"You know, I was really hoping that sharing my life story with you would make you a little less-" He grasped for a word.

"Unkind?" Raye tried supplying.

"'Bitchy' was the word I was looking for." He grinned toothily at her.

"I'd apologize for dashing your hopes," Raye smirked. "But I wouldn't mean a word of it."

Jason shook his head at her. "…You're enjoying my discomfort, aren't you?"

Raye made a pinching motion with her forefinger and her thumb and sang, "Just a little."

"Remind me why I stick around despite your abuse?"

"Because going home would mean seeing your ex-fiancé cuddling into your brother." Raye said simply. Jason scoffed and looked away but she watched his neck muscles tense at the imagery. A faint pang of guilt hit her, much like it did when she allowed herself to say something too mean to one of her girlfriends. Raye cocked her head to one side, cleared her throat as her tone turned serious. "You know you can't avoid them forever."

"Watch me." Jason returned perkily.

"Hmmm." Raye mused. "I didn't expect that."

"What?"

"You being a coward."

"Ooh." Jason mock-gasped and clutched at his chest like she'd sucker-punched him. "Kinda harsh there, priestess."

"Honesty often is." She returned calmly. Raye shrugged, smirking suddenly. "Of course, I could always just find a broom or some other blunt object and chase you around demanding your death if you'd like."

"You know," Jason smile indulgently, "Four months ago that threat would've terrified me."

"And now?"

"Now," He gave her a roguish grin. "It just means it's a Wednesday."

Raye couldn't help it. She laughed, a hand reaching up to cover her mouth as she did so, one of her habits that Jason had learned while living with her. But she was still laughing and Jason let himself smile a little watching it happen. He noticed a movement out of the corner of his eyes and frowned.

"Hey." He called down to her. When she stopped laughing, he said, "Gramps said he wanted you to stop by his room earlier. I think he's drawing up plans for that boxing class he wants to have here."

She let out a scoff of disgust that only she could make look cute and rolled her eyes in aggravation.

"That perverted old horn dog…" She shook her head exasperatedly. Raye glanced up at him once more. "I'm going to find him. Do you need anything?"

"A nice show of your recently-declared freedom to run around in your underwear would be nice." Jason winked.

"…"

Jason rubbed the side of his head with his trademark goofy grin, thinking Raye was probably the only girl who could still look attractive launching projectiles at his head.

"I guess it's a special occasion!" He called out to Raye's fuming, retreating figure. "You normally don't chuck buckets at me unless it's a Sunday!"

As he watched her safely cross to the other side of the temple, away from the front steps, he stood up his full length at the top of the roof, glaring at the people beneath him like they were ants begging to be squashed…

"I don't see her, do you?

"No. But she's the only female to be running around in temple robes at this time so it can't be _that_ hard to find her can it?"

"Is she really a priestess?"

"Who cares?"

"Well, aren't they like sworn to chastity or something?"

"…oh yeah…"

"Dude, that makes her twice as awesome!"

"And you figure this how?"

"Ignore Chad's reasons. I do, and my brain is better off for it."

Here, two of the three high school students laughed out loud, leaving the shaggy-haired one named Chad to twist his mouth in annoyance.

"Shut up man." Chad tried.

"Aw don't be a downer buddy." One of his friends said. "We just don't get what's the point of you coming up here every weekend just to try to talk to some chick that won't put out-"

"**Watch out**!"

Their other friend barely had time to call out that warning when literally stacks upon stacks of shingles fell from the heavens like vengeful hail from the gods. Well, one god-ish kind of person I guess…

"Oh man," Jason said heartily, leaning over the side of the roof, eyes apologetic. "Are you guys okay?"

The three teenagers looked up at him, eyes wide, not in residual startle, but in anticipatory fear. For despite the man's words that dripped in concern, and the facial expression he wore that simply exuded worry, not one of them could ignore the frosty aura that the blonde God of the Rooftop was emanating that was several dozen degrees colder than it was even in the winter air. Nor could they ignore how, despite how aloft he held his tool, it seemed like Thor's hammer in his possession, almost poised to slam down upon their heads like Whack-a-Moles.

They had made it to the top steps leading to the temple by the time Jason had leapt down from the roof. He glared at their backs menacingly and tucked his mighty weapon (aka "hammer") into its regal sheath (read: "tool belt"), dusting his gloved hands together, both of the dirt on the floor and the dirt he managed to get out of the grounds. Jason had begun to notice them a while ago, although Raye never acknowledged them. Then again, she never acknowledged any of the lovesick, ogling men that came by. She could just be oblivious or she could just flat-out not care, but there was something in the way that these guys stared at his pseudo-boss (because the only thing his supposed "boss" Old Man Hino ever really ordered him to do was have a drink with him) that just pissed off the handyman. In retrospect, he probably reacted more against those kids than he had against Anne.

…The thought made him pause.

And he would've dwelled on that somewhat-uncomfortable notion if he didn't hear clapping. Wait, clapping? Jason turned around wildly, looking for the source of the sound, until they settled on a tall man standing by the cherry blossom tree. He had salt-and-pepper hair, crinkled eyes behind glasses and an amused expression on his face as his hands continued to applaud,

"_Bravo_." The man said, his clapping fading. "Encore, encore!"

Jason laughed uneasily, a little confused. "Encore for what?"

"Scaring away those kids." The man gestured to the entrance of the temple where the teenagers had run away to.

Jason pretended to scoff, shifting. "No idea what you're talking about pops."

"I hope you don't plan on going into politics." The man seemed to laugh at him without actually laughing. "Because you're a horrible liar."

"Oh really?" Jason narrowed his eyes at the man. He seemed familiar, but Jason couldn't quite remember seeing him at the temple before… "How do you figure that?"

"I'm an expert of sorts in that field." The stranger murmured, glancing at the cherry blossom tree once more.

"I'm Richard." The elder man introduced himself, extending a well-manicured hand to Jason. Jason fumbled for a moment, taking off a gaudy glove and reaching out,

"I'm-"

"Jason Exuro." Richard cut him off, shaking Jason's hand firmly, smooth palms feeling out calluses. His face was impassive. "I know."

"Huh." Jason paused for a moment before retracting his hand from the shake. He eyed the man suspiciously. "Anything else you know about me?"

"Just the facts." Richard said, stepping back, hands clasped behind him. "Like you being the hired help-"

"The official title is 'handyman extraordinaire.'" Jason joked. The corners of the man's mouth twitched up into what Jason figured might have been a smile if you magnified it at 200x and tilted your head slightly to the right.

"I have to say though," Richard began, assessing Jason from head to toe. "It's kind of hard to recognize you without the designer suits and a champagne glass in your hand."

Jason stared hard at the man, his defenses on red alert. He'd worked hard at maintaining a low profile and he knew Anne hadn't spilled the beans about it because otherwise, they would've descended upon him like ravenous wolves(…okay, not _wolves_ per se, but definitely like overly-enthusiastic dingoes). So…

"Who the hell are you?" Jason demanded evenly.

"I already told you," He said in return. "My name is Richard."

"Well then, Richard." Jason quipped cheerily, "What do you want?"

The sunlight glinted off his glasses as he faced Jason head-on with eyes that were calculating, suspicious, and a violent shade of violet that seemed reminiscent of…

Jason swallowed.

…Waaaaaait a minute.

"I want to know what the hell you're doing living with my daughter."

* * *

"Oh come on!"

"Don't 'come on' me gramps." Raye held her ground. "We are not doing boxing lessons at the temple just so you can fulfill your needs to see women in leotards bent in awkward positions!"

"…not all of them would be awkward."

Raye fought the urge to hurl her teacup at her grandfather's head.

"Oh, speaking of awkward!" Ryuu Hino shot up. "I've still got to make dinner tonight!"

Raye face-vaulted. "Seriously? I thought we were talking about the boxing lessons!"

"Hmmm." Old Man Hino mused distractedly. "Maybe we'll talk about it after dinner…"

"_YOU'RE_ the one that wants to have it!" She pointed out, exasperated.

"Well, _now_ I'd like to make dinner." He announced, shuffling towards the kitchen. "Set the table, will you Raye? Oh," He added, poking his head back into the room. "Don't pretend to forget Jason's seat this time."

"Remind me again why I let you bring him within three feet of me?" She grumbled even as she reached for a third dish.

"Because he takes care of the temple and the least we can do is feed him." Her grandfather recited as he did every time Raye posed the same question every other day since Ryuu had insisted that Jason join them for dinner. The man had been ecstatic and Raye had clearly been less than pleased. But she understood how lonely her grandfather must get from time to time and despite the handyman's perverted-ness (or probably _because_ of it), Jason made good company for her grandfather…even if most of their conversations involved the proportions of a perfect woman.

She stood back, glancing at the table in front of her and seeing the plates arranged together, staring down at that third plate. It was an innocuous image, but it spoke wonders to how Jason had managed to weasel his way into their lives. She glanced at her grandfather, standing on a stepping stool that let him reach the kitchen counter and stopped the smile that crept on her face. Didn't help that Ryuu kept the figurative doggy door of their lives open to the social rodent…

Like someone up above was listening, she hear d the sliding door open and turned around, expecting Jason to walk through, floating on the scent of dinner. The smile she didn't realize was forming on her face dropped once she turned around. Apparently, the weasel had brought back a rat…

* * *

"No offense meant," Old Man Hino said lightly, "But I thought you were dead."

Richard Harrington III blinked, lips twitching. "I'm so sorry to disappoint you."

"I doubt it." Ryuu laughed, pouring more sake into Richard's cup before refueling his own.

"You should," Raye muttered loudly enough for everyone to hear at their crowded table. "He's been disappointing us for years so it's nothing new."

Jason watched the exchange go back and forth, riveted. Now, there were dysfunctional families, and then there was _this_; this increasingly odd, obviously hostile, yet somehow still-functioning system that, for all intents and purposes shouldn't work, but somehow did.

…Like a chicken running around with its head cut off: it was natural, horrifying…and just teensy bit funny.

Jason downed his drink; he'd gone with tea instead of sake because something that made Raye madder than she could be with him was just too good to experience tipsy. He thought he'd needed a good dose of alcohol to get through dinner earlier, when Jason recognized the JAWS theme song that blasted into his head when he realized that he was arguing with Raye's frickin-father of all people. It had taken every ounce of his self-restraint not to say more than, "Follow me," before leading Richard with strides that were a hundred times steadier than he felt.

Yet somehow, between the front steps of the temple and the in-laws' reunion, Jason had found himself sitting at one side of the square table, facing a _very_ unamused Raye Harrington, both of them settled between the only two men in Raye's life that she ever acknowledged. Jason faintly wondered if fell into the same category.

"Now Raye," Her grandfather tried to placate her, his red face notwithstanding. "Behave."

Jason couldn't help it. "Yeah, Raye," He grinned wickedly. "Play nice."

Raye turned up the same bitchy, haughty eyebrow that she'd given Anne at Jason in a regal, How-dare-you-I'm-going-to-kill-you-in-your-sleep-tonight manner. But Jason had been assailed with just about everything in Raye's offensive arsenal, and a prolonged eyebrow twitch was nothing when you've faced Raye Harrington hunting you down with a blood-splattered broom and homicidal intent. His grin turned into a sly smirk at her anger. Ahh, there was something positively delicious about her not being able to leap across the table to strangle him.

"Speaking of playing," Richard cleared his throat, after watching the nonverbal exchange between the younger generation. "I'm surprised at you Ryuu. I figured with all your talk of tradition and family-friendliness, you'd do better than hire _this_ one to be so close to your granddaughter."

Ryuu followed the ill-directed thumb to Jason, who had a piece of chicken halfway in his mouth and simply shrugged, "He seemed like someone I could count on."

"Yeah," Raye scoffed. "To check out teenage girls with."

"You _do_ remember that your granddaughter is also a teenager, right?" Richard raised a masculine version of his daughter's haughty eyebrow twitch.

Ryuu thought this was funny and laughed. Raye face-palmed. And Jason wallowed in her discomfort.

* * *

"He's a politician."

"He's an ass." Raye corrected, tossing the plates into the suds and grabbing a pair of yellow gloves to cover her delicate hands.

"Interchangeable words, I'm sure." Jason mused.

"Five syllables in one word." Raye mock gasped. "You must be proud."

"And you must be desperate to change the topic if you're resorting to putting down my intelligence." Jason laughed at her.

"Just what little of it you could have."

"Not going to fall for it," He sing-songed, leaning against the stove beside her. "So what's the story?"

"No story." Raye fired back. "I don't like him. My grandpa knows it. And my father's a jerk."

"He also ran for office a few years ago didn't he?" Jason finally connected the face of the man sitting next to him at dinner with Richard Harrington's face on several posters when he was still in high school.

"Yup. And he's due to run again sometime soon." A bitter edge crept into her voice. "That's usually when we see him a lot. He likes to play up the family-man angle during election week."

"Doesn't look like it to me." Jason insisted when he didn't like the look on her face. He'd seen Raye angry and enraged and occasionally, he might get lucky enough to see her smile even if she hadn't incurred bodily harm against him. Her current expression, however, was a mix of pent-up anger and a lot of irritation. So he had to rationalize, "He just looks like a nice guy stopping by to have dinner with his family."

Raye rolled her eyes. "You've had dinner with us more times since you've moved in here than he has in the last six years put together."

"Wow." Jason whistled.

"Shouldn't be that shocking." Raye said drily. "This is your first time ever seeing him around since you started working here."

"I take it he doesn't come around often." Jason finally said after he noticed the way Raye's lips pursed to one side.

"Like I said," She handed him a washed dish, saying resentfully, "We're only important to him during election week."

Jason couldn't help it. He threw back his head and laughed. She stared at him like he was crazy.

"What's so funny?"

"You!" Jason said between chuckles. "You have daddy issues!"

He got a mouthful of soapy water for that one and kept laughing anyway.

* * *

"Well, they're lively." Richard glanced at the room just beyond his vision, where he knew his daughter was with Jason, ironically helping the hired help wash the dishes because she'd rather be there than in the same room as her father.

"Don't make such a face." Ryuu said, recognizing the look of a regretful man from his own reflection in the mirror many times. "Voters don't like depressed candidates."

"It's not like anyone can see me."

"True." Ryuu acquiesced. "And why is that, by the way? Normally when you want to have dinner with us, it involves a five-star restaurant and a lot of coincidental run-ins with reporters and cameramen."

Richard chuckled a little, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out an envelope and sliding it towards his father-in-law, "I got this in the mail two days ago."

Ryuu opened the envelope and found himself smiling as he murmured,

"I wondered where these went."

"You've seen these photos?" Richard was surprised.

"Of course." Ryuu said happily. "I took them after all." His eyes crinkled as he looked down at the pieces he knew had (not-so-) mysteriously disappeared from his Raye-and-Jason-Love-Collection.

Richard didn't seem anymore pleased by this.

"Ryuu," He said seriously. "Do you know who that man is?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryuu asked innocently.

Richard shook his head, exasperated. "Cut the bullshit. I know you wouldn't let any man come within ten feet of Raye, let alone in your home, unless you knew them or trusted them." He sat back, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, "I know you didn't let me in for a while."

"That's because you kept breaking the hearts of the girls who are born in this house." Ryuu said simply, only mildly annoyed. Years of patience, meditation, reflection, and raising a beautiful granddaughter in place of a sad father who hadn't stopped grieving had tamed the immense resentment and hatred he'd had against his son-in-law. Maybe one day soon, Raye would know this feeling too. Until then…

"He's worse than me." Richard insisted. "His background, his family, what he used to do before he came here-"

"Doesn't matter." Ryuu interrupted calmly.

"But-!"

"You asked me if I knew who that man is." Ryuu said, placating. "I know this much: his name is Jason. I know he's a good man and a hard worker. I know he's very resilient both in mind and body. You'd have to be, with Raye's constant threats and physical punishments." He chuckled lightly, flipping though the pictures of his granddaughter and employee with a fond smile. "I know what I need to know about that man."

"Then you know that he's bound to disappoint Raye if you let her get attached to him." Richard almost accused.

"Raye doesn't get attached." Ryuu snorted into his cup. "She learns to tolerate."

"Ryuu-" Richard grounded.

"I once tried stopping a hard-headed girl from staying with a man she would've died to make happy," Ryuu mused as his mind searched for that familiar smile that called him 'Papa' once upon a time. "It didn't work out the way any of us wanted to.

"Let's let this work out the way it's supposed to," Ryuu suggested when he saw Richard staring at the gold band over his left ring finger for too long. "If you've done your research and watched over this man like the over-possessive stalker I know you to be, I'm sure you know what I know too." He smiled sadly. "He's what Raye needs now. And she's going to need him a lot more very soon…"

* * *

"For a guy who's taken to hiding from the woman he was going to marry, you're awfully gung-ho on the reach-out-to-whoever-messed-you-up routine."

"That's only because the person reaching out to me is doing it with the hand that has my brother's engagement ring on it." Jason returned, not missing a spot on the dish Raye passed to him to dry.

"So it's ok to suck it up when romantic relationships go to shit," She scrubbed too hard on another plate. "But just because he comprises half of my DNA, I should make the effort that he should've had done years ago?"

"He's making an effort _now_." Jason tried to reason, reaching over and wrenching the abused dish from her claw-like, yellow-gloved hands.

"Well so is Anne." Raye struggled with the name that tasted like month-old mold in her mouth.

"You don't even like Anne." Jason laughed at the face she made.

"I don't like a lot of people." Raye pointed out. "And somehow, two of those people are currently under my roof as we speak."

"Just because you let people who drive you nuts into your home doesn't mean that I have to do the same."

The words, 'This isn't even your home!' teetered on the edge of Raye's lips until she glanced outside the window above the sink, and caught sight of the laundry line in the back. Against the slow burn of a setting sun, her crisp white bed sheets hung beside Jason's navy blue ones, his jeans and shirts strung in between her school uniforms and Ryuu's shrine robes to dry. Looking down at the sink, she counted the three dishes set on the drying rack, a fourth one in her hands.

_ 'Hmm. When did that happen?'_

"Why not?" She challenged aloud, taking off her gloves. "I don't see why I should try to recover from the emotional trauma my father dealt to me while you get to sit pretty and hiding in your mental turtle shell."

"So what?" Jason scoffed, lining the final dish on the rack and drying his hands.

"So do as you say." Raye shot back. "Go play nice with your ex-almost-wife and maybe I'll consider tolerating my father's presence."

Jason laughed. "So what? You'll be my cheerleader?"

"Or something like a teammate going through the same crap with you." Raye suggested instead.

"I'll do it if you'll be my cheerleader." Jason insisted.

"Fine." Raye rolled her eyes, laughing sardonically. "And if you pull it off, I'll even wave some pompoms and spell your name."

She threw the dishrag at him when he fist pumped and walked out of the room before he could see her smile.

* * *

**chickay:** Wouldn't it be really nice if you knew _exactly_ when I'd update? Well, I'd like that too, but my brain just doesn't understand the concept of regular updates. This is one of my longer chapters and I can't say that I'm completely pleased with it. I love R+J so much (Raye in general was my favorite character) but I've been having a bit of a doozy developing their love story within the time constraints of the story so~…it's a problem. This chapter has been in the making since my last update, but working to get it right was a real issue for me. :/

Things seem to be winding down for our characters but, don't worry, I've got a twist or two coming up before that final June month so please do stick around and review review review!

Ooh. And because it was such a huge thing for me, I would like to say a supersized "YayThankyou!" to **Tamer's Light,** who's greatest achievement was being the first person to PM me…6 months ago. Haha. So, thank you Tamer's Light, and thank you to everyone else who's continued to support me over the years. Your dedication to my short-attention span and long-spaced updates has kept me going and will keep me going.

Please and Thank you!


	15. December IV: The Darnedest Things

Cupid's Last

**The Darnedest Things**

_December IV_

* * *

Kenneth Dupree had never realized just how _elastic _his face was until Lita Kingston slammed it onto the counter of the Crown Arcade, squishing his right cheek in a manner that the high school girls at table three found _very_ comical.

"Changing my numbers, Kenny?" Lita's man-hands grounded into his face. "_Really_?"

"Ja noo eetsnob busabb spuutim-gah!"

She yanked him back by his hair. "What?"

"I said," He yelled like a little girl when she yanked once more. "'You know it's not as bad as putting bolts in my food.'"

Kenny's face slammed back down. How funny. He had no idea that the countertops had miniscule flecks of navy blue splattered across it. What a wonderfully educational day.

"That was _my_ egg sandwich." Lita snarled.

"How was I supposed to know?" He defended (as much as a man being pinned down by a teenage girl could defend himself).

"Because no one else at the garage wraps their lunches with _pink handkerchiefs_ that have _tiny red hearts_ on it that spell the name LITA." The owner ground out.

"Lita," Andrew drawled from the other side of the counter, nonchalantly cleaning a glass like his latest employee wasn't being physically assaulted. "While I'm sure that Kenny deserves whatever punishment you're putting him through-"

("I don't!" Came the insistent reply that was equally-insistently ignored.)

"-I'd really like it if he lived long enough to clear tables three and five."

And only because Lita had once had a crush on Andrew through grades 8 until 11 and wanted to keep coming back to the Crown Arcade to beat Mina's high score on the Sailor V game, did the towering Amazon reluctantly released her prey.

"Aw, geez Lita. I think you moved my spine." Kenny groaned, giving her a slightly reproaching glance. "What's the big deal anyway? So I changed a few numbers as a gag. Got you your first date with your sugar daddy didn't it?"

Lita's face practically burst into flames. Out went Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons, replaced by Lita Kingston, physically imposing and awkward teenager whose last dating experience consisted of a swift kick to the groin of a really stupid oaf of a human being.

"S-shut up Kenny!" She tried to order, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. "How did you even know that?"

"Pssh." Kenny scoffed, massaging his neck and making sure nothing was permanently damaged. "You're the only chick in a garage full of men with vasectomies. Big Mike's been telling _**every**_one." He snorted. "I think he's torn between being the excited mommy or the suspicious daddy."

* * *

Darien watched her out of the corner of his eye.

Like a creeper.

Like _the_ creeper, actually, that Serena had actually _encouraged _and groomed him to be in the past months. She might've been impressed with his sneaky, ninja-esque skills if she could've spared him a glance in between being pulled in eight, short, different directions. He leaned back on the front step of St. Jude's Orphanage, the same place Serena Tyler stood on that fateful day in August when she'd approached him for 'help' in her psychotic plan. Originally, he'd figured she was being her usual nosy, interfering, irritating self when she wanted to hook their friends up together. But now…

An unbidden image of Serena's seemingly lifeless body flashed in his mind and Darien shook off the shudder that involuntarily came over him.

Darien's mouth hardened into a grim line and he glared (perhaps) undeservingly at the laughing blonde a few yards away from him. Rini's little "sister," Chibi clung to Serena's left leg while a boy with brown hair tugged on her right arm, urging her towards the gathering of children throwing a football at each other. After a few visits to the orphanage, the children had learned to stop looking at Serena as a threat to their companionship with Darien and pretty much assimilated her into their play time.

His stern mouth twitched. He suspected that they all loved her because she was short enough to be one of them.

_Frickin' dwarf._

"Technically, she'd be a midget." A voice interjected. "While she is at four feet, eleven inches, Serena insists that her buns let her cross over to five feet."

Darien tilted his head back and found himself staring at the upside-down face of Hotaru Tompkins. She shrugged carelessly like this wasn't a big deal,

"Also, she isn't suffering from hypopituitarism, so calling her a dwarf isn't really appropriate."

He blinked once. And again. And it struck him that his 'affectionate' term for Serena had actually been spoken aloud. He would've been embarrassed at being caught, but considering his last encounter with the girl consisted of them staring at each other blankly, he was too amazed that Hotaru was speaking, let alone to him.

"Either way," He spoke cautiously, watching the girl as she took a seat next to him on the steps. "She'd drown in five feet of water."

"Not if she can swim."

"Trust me," He snorted. "She can't swim."

"How do you know?" Hotaru asked, tilting her head slightly, curious. "You two are clearly acquaintances, but I'm not sure if I'd call you friends."

"'Friends,'" Darien couldn't help the irritated edge that crept into his voice, "Do not sneak into each other's tents at sleep-away camp, position two adolescent boys in awkward positions and dip their fingers into bowls of water. Nor," He plowed on emphatically. "Do they wait for the inevitable biological process to take place with a camera in hand."

Darien didn't believe his eyes, but he could've sworn that Hotaru was beginning to crack a smile at the corners of her lips. It surprised him.

"She photographed you in a homosexually suggestive position while you urinated on yourself." She repeated flatly.

Darien gave a dry laugh, amazement settling in him that he'd manage to forgive Serena for that little incident and actually worried about her welfare…

"Pretty much," Darien confirmed, looking out to the blonde trouble maker who had stopped playing catch with the boys and was now pushing the girls on the swings. "Once the spots stopped blurring my vision, I chased after her. For a dwarf-"

"Midget." Hotaru corrected.

"-she ran pretty fast." He continued. "Unfortunately for Serena, she has the directional sense of a bar of soap and wound up falling into the camp lake screeching like a parakeet."

Hotaru didn't even bother to hide her smile this time and even giggled, "I'm guessing the water was deeper than five feet."

"Seven actually," Darien couldn't help but chirp with some glee. "She started floundering around like a pissed off bunny." He rubbed the back of his head with only the slightest bit of sheepishness and laughed a little. "She was gulping in so much water that I didn't even realize she'd been screaming that she couldn't swim."

"You don't sound like you were that concerned."

"Honestly, I thought it was kind of fitting. Divine retribution, almost." Darien admitted. He scratched the back of his head, thoughtful.

There was a pause between them before Hotaru cocked her head slightly, seeming to see something in him that Darien wasn't aware of yet…

"But you jumped in, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

It was also true.

"Yeah." He nodded, his eyes turning to follow Serena score a touchdown with a child on her back and another one on her leg. He scoffed as she did a mini-dance and laughed wryly when a seven-year-old tackled her at the end-zone. How could she be so…_okay _with something so…ominous hovering over her shoulder?

A thought suddenly struck him. Yesterday wasn't the first time he'd seen Serena's limp and lifeless body…

"She'd taken in too much water," He mused aloud in awe as he remembered that time that he'd carried Serena back to the shore to find her breathless…literally. "I-"

"You resuscitated her." Yet another truthful statement-rather-than-question.

Darien nodded even as he furrowed his brow, somehow in awe that this memory was a real one. Over the years, Serena and he had done so much damage to each other's sanity and life that it was almost incredible to believe that he'd-

"You saved her."

Darien nodded absentmindedly, an expression of comical disbelief settling on his features like even _he_ didn't believe it had happened. And _he_ was actually there, desperately trying to nudge her awake before he took action and breathed life back into her little body. He remembered the flood of relief when Serena had sat up, gagged the water she'd swallowed and coughed at his side. He suddenly smiled. Darien had almost hugged her back then but, "The first thing she said to me was, 'I'm still not giving you those photos.'"

Hotaru smiled softly at his side. "I wouldn't have imagined you two had such a history."

With a cynical smile, he replied in slight amazement, "Neither did I."

* * *

Chibi stared, eyes exceptionally wide in wonder.

Slowly, hesitatingly, a chubby finger reached out and poked.

The golden ball jiggled in place and Serena laughed from her position on the ground as Chibi giggled, clearly fascinated with Serena's "bunny buns" as Chibi had coined them.

"You like 'em huh?"

The bright-red head nodded up and down enthusiastically.

"Well, _I_ think they're _ugly_." Rini insisted, throwing her "little sister" a reproachful glare for 'taking _her _side.'

"Well, I think your hair's funny." Serena teased back. Rini self-consciously reached up to smooth down the flyaway strands of her (extremely) strawberry-blonde hair. Chibi ignored Rini's irritation and went on to poke Serena's left bun now, finding it as immensely amazing as the one on the right. Serena laughed outright and picked up the tiny girl from behind her, placing Chibi in her lap and tickling her senseless.

Rini's glare never wavered and Serena was starting to get the feeling that this was a confrontation a few months in the making. So she sat Chibi up after her tickle-fit and nudged her towards a set of swings in the distant.

"You shouldn't come around anymore." Rini said seriously once she was sure Chibi was out of earshot.

Serena stared at her quietly. Rini had been blatant in her dislike of Serena; Serena had lost count of the number of times she'd turned around and caught Rini with a pair of scissors and one of Serena's pigtails in her grubby little hands. After a while, Serena had assumed it was because the little girl harbored some kind of idolized crush on Darien. But somehow…

"What exactly is it," Serena said quietly, "Do you not like about me?"

"_Everything_." Rini said emphatically.

"That's an awful lot to not like." Serena tried not to laugh because the little girl looked like she was about to snap.

"Well, you're ugly-" Rini started.

"A matter of opinion." Serena waved off.

"-and you laugh too loud."

"That's impossible." Serena scoffed teasingly. "No one can laugh too loud."

"And you're too big to play on the swings!"

"I broke it once and Darien fixed it on the same day." Serena said, miffed.

"You don't belong here." Rini tried again.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Serena was enjoying this.

"_**You're going to leave**_!" Rini turned red as she screeched, the unspoken loud and clear, _'Just like everyone else!'_

"Well, I kinda _have_ to leave," Serena reasoned calmly. "Like Darien-"

"Darien comes back." Rini shot at her, her voice breaking a little. "He always does and he plays with everyone every time."

"So do I-"

"You're not going to come back!"

Serena shifted, starting to get that same feeling as she did when Darien stood between her and A Moment in Time. A sense of dread, a sliver of guilt for what she knew she'd been doing wrong…But…

"You're not going to come back." Rini said quieter this time, her bottom lip quivering, her voice wavering just a little bit. It was a familiar expression to Serena…largely because she'd worn it herself as a child…

"You know," Serena began, eyes glazed into a memory, "I'm an orphan too."

Rini looked up, her watery eyes wide and curious despite her pout, "Liar," She sniffed, wiping her nose wetly. "Darien said you have a mommy."

"An aunt." Serena corrected, clasping her hands on her lap and looping at them. Rini followed the motion and saw that Serena's hands, with its frail and slender fingers, were shaking as she spoke. "My real mommy…went away a long time ago."

"Why?" Rini couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know," Serena answered truthfully, with a sheepish smile like she was _apologizing_ for not being able to give a definite explanation. Lamely, she reasoned, "I was too young."

"Were you as old as me?" Serena smiled indulgently at the question, appraising Rini's height and age and shook her head, pigtails swaying.

"No." She answered. "I was too young to even call her 'mommy.'"

Rini paused at that thought, thinking of the woman she called 'mommy,' the tall imposing woman who left her at the doorstep of the orphanage so many years ago.

"My mommy left me." Rini said, the petulant pout laced with anger. "Yours didn't go away because she didn't want you."

A small spark of anger ignited in Serena, not because Rini seemed to underestimate the impact of Serena's mother's death, but because the child had been abandoned – not left behind as Serena was. At least Serena knew at some point that she was loved; she was sure of it. Trista had always told her that you could love as much as you were given; considering the love Serena had to spare for her adopted mother and dear friends, she decided that Selina must have passed on her whole heart to her daughter.

Looking at the small girl in front of her, Serena felt indignant that there could be a mother that couldn't do something as simple as love their daughter.

Rini jolted upright and stiff when she felt Serena's hands on her shoulders. Surprised, she peered at Serena's face and found, for the first time since Darien greeted her at the orphanage years ago, a kind smile, caring eyes, and warming glow that radiated something so many of the children at St. Jude's had never had – love.

'_You deserve to _be_ loved.'_ Serena's eyes insisted.

Rini couldn't hold it anymore; she cried.

'_Don't be sad anymore.'_ Her hands murmured into Rini's ear as they tucked her curls aside.

'_I will love you.'_ Her lips told her as Serena kissed the little girl's forehead.

'_Just let me.'_ Serena's arms asked as they wrapped around Rini's tiny body, embracing her in a way that should've came _years_ earlier, from another woman, yet felt better than Rini thought her real mother's touch would've been.

Rini clung back to her, wailing now, allowing every wound, every scar from her mother to open so Serena could cover with that beautiful light of hers.

'_This,'_ Rini thought in a half-second of lucidity between wracking sobs. _'This must be why he loves her.'_

* * *

"This is stupid."

"Your face is stupid."

"Seriously?" Raye turned around the white iron-wrought chair and glared at Jason through her sunglasses. "_That's_ your comeback?"

Jason mimicked her and spun around his own chair and pointed a finger at her, "_I'm_ not the one who suggested overcoming our emotional and familial obstacles."

"And I'm not the one who suggested we do this in freakin' public!" She hissed back at him. They glared at each other for a beat before scoffing simultaneously and crossing their arms in their respective seats... back to back in front of a café a few blocks from the temple.

"We're doing this in public," Jason gritted. "So that we can't run away without looking like insane freaks."

"Speak for yourself," Raye muttered loud enough for him to hear behind her, her eyes trained on a passing yellow taxi.

"Don't even think about it." Jason warned, sipping cold water and wishing he'd gotten a glass of rum and coke instead. "There's no way you can run off before your dad gets here without me dragging you back in those heels."

"I couldn't help it," Raye glared at her gorgeous stiletto sling-backs like this was all their damn fault. "These were the only shoes I could find to wear."

She could've sworn she heard the bastard chuckle, "How about that…"

Without warning, Raye had snatched her clutch and spun around to whack the daylights out of Jason's arm. "You idiot!"

"Hey HEY! Cut it out!" Jason snatched her purse out of her hands and promptly smacked her arm back before waving it at her menacingly. "I _knew_ you were gonna chicken out-"

"I am _**not**_ chickening out!" Raye growled and swiped futilely to grab her purse back.

"-so sue if me if I decided to level the playing field." Jason plowed on, using his freakishly-long arms to keep Raye from her weapon, er, purse.

"By hiding all my sensible shoes?" Raye almost screeched at him.

"Hey!" He turned so that he was almost completely facing her, "Maybe if you'd clean your room once in a while you'd be able to find things when you need 'em-"

"You're not even supposed to be in my room!" Raye sounded scandalized.

"And _you're_ supposed to take your laundry down." He shot back smugly. "_I_ was just being a considerate roommate."

"By handling my underwear?"

A beat passed and Jason's smirk was a little too suggestive. "Wouldn't be the first time, now would it?"

Raye's sunglasses dropped down her nose the same time her mouth did. Jason knew he was going to regret goading her, but it was so much fun to piss her off 'cause Raye Harrington was pretty hot when she was pissed. Probably explained why he did it so often then…

"You pompous little prick-!" A hand shot out to grab his collar and the other reached down to undo her stiletto – the nearest weapon she could find. Jason let out something between a yelp and a laugh because this outburst was temporarily taking his mind off the fact that his ex-fiancé was going to show up in about five minutes.

"Well," A voice chirped in. "This wouldn't exactly be the weirdest position I've walked in on you in."

The "staff" of the Cherry Hill Temple turned simultaneously and took in the sight of the tall, slight man standing in front of them, looking poised and casual in a pair of dark jeans and white tee and staring at them with a cocked eyebrow through thin-framed glasses. Raye had never seen the man before and was fairly certain she wasn't making the greatest first-impression on him, with Jason reaching to keep her purse behind him, half-twisted in his chair, and her reaching for her shoes in an effort to harm him.

…She probably needed to re-evaluate her life for the New Year.

"Zeke." Jason was genuinely surprised. "What the hell are you doing here?" He gestured to the sky. "The sun is out; aren't you supposed to burst into flames?"

Zeke's mouth twitched slightly and he turned to the admittedly-beautiful young woman who currently held his childhood friend in a death-grip, commenting, "If you'd like, I could hold him down while you stab him."

"No need." Raye didn't miss a beat. "It's funnier when he cries _and_ struggles."

Zeke barked a laugh he didn't expect, deciding at that moment that he liked this spitfire.

"So what'd the idiot do to piss you off?" He started off their first conversation. "Aside from, apparently, handling your unmentionables?"

Raye's cheeks turned as red as her heels and her grip on Jason's collar tightened, gritting through her teeth, "Do you want the most recent transgressions or would you prefer an itemized list since he walked into the temple?"

"Ahh," Zeke breathed with understanding. "You're The Prude."

"Not. Helping dude." Jason all but wheezed when Raye's grip turned murderous.

"Wasn't trying to bro." Zeke returned with that same chirping tone.

"Zeke?" Turning around, Zeke found himself smiling.

"Amy." He reached out to his slightly-more-than-a-coworker.

Jason suddenly gasped for air when Raye's hand startled.

"Amy?"

Behind this 'Zeke' guy's tall frame, Amy's petite dark hair popped out, along with a raised eyebrow that mimicked her friend's just a moment ago,

"Raye, are you trying to kill someone again?" She asked it like a kid whining about meatloaf for the third night in a row.

"Almost succeeding if I didn't have so many interruptions." Raye returned evenly. She let go of Jason completely and realized she'd seen Amy's companion before…

"_Heey,_" She laughed a little, "You're the Jerk."

"'The Jerk,' huh?" The light glinted off of Zeke's glasses forebodingly. "_In_teresting…"

Amy might've blushed like a tomato but she picked an invisible thread from her cardigan instead, insisting, "I wouldn't take her word so easily, since she's clearly borderline homicidal."

Raye threw her head back and laughed because, "Amy Merquise, I do believe you've given me attitude."

Amy returned the laugh, clapping her hands almost enthusiastically, "It only took you guys half a decade to teach me how."

The guys watched the exchange and the smiles, not realizing that similar ones were forming on their own faces. A moment passed before Zeke gestured to Raye, asking, "I take it you're classmates."

"More." Amy insisted, coming over to Raye and greeting her with a cheek-kiss. She smiled brilliantly when she turned to Zeke. "Raye's been one of my best friends for almost a decade."

"Nice to meet you," Zeke smiled and gestured to Jason who was adjusting his collar with one hand and still gripping Raye's purse in the other. "This guy and I have been in each other's hair since middle school."

Months ago, Jason would've taken Amy's hand and kissed it…and Zeke would've probably wanted to slug him. This time, however, Jason simply grinned at Amy, and Zeke relaxed when Jason's eyes almost immediately drifted back over to Raye, "Nice to meet you. I'm Jason."

"I know." Amy said. "Raye rants so much about you that we feel like I already know so much about you already."

They all laughed a little and Zeke mused,

"How funny," He started. "Who would've figured you two knew each other for as long as Jason and I have."

The girls nodded along, their eyebrows furrowing just a tad over the coincidence but their minds moving on anyway. And it was a _pleasant _moment, largely because neither Anne nor Richard had yet shown up, and really, Jason's suspicions really could've stayed his own suspicions…but he felt that this moment was _important_…that it was happening then and there _for a reason_, and his mouth moved before he could fully acknowledge that it _really was_ a silly question, but,

"Say," He swirled his water and tried to make the question nonchalant as opposed to something that had been weighing on his mind for months now, "Do either of you happen to know someone named Darien or, or Serena by any chance…?"

* * *

"Well you two got exceptionally chummy today." Darien whispered as he watched her silhouette rise from the bed. Serena glanced at the sleeping Rini before backing out of the room quietly and shutting the door. She gave Darien a smug little smile.

"I think I've turned her."

"Darn," He snapped his fingers. "Lost one more to the Dark-side."

"I'm sure you'll survive." Serena rolled her eyes as they made their way down the steps of the orphanage. Thoughtfully, she said, "She's a sweet girl, actually, you know," She added hastily, "When she's not trying to snip my hair off, I mean."

They said goodbye to the sisters and walked over to Darien's motorcycle.

"You know who else is a pretty sweet kid," He started, passing Serena her helmet. "Hotaru."

Serena smiled hopefully at him. "Are you telling me that you've finally managed to crack her?"

"No." He said, sounding as surprised as her. "In fact, I think she kinda cracked me."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Serena grinned. "You're pretty cracked already…"

"Do you remember that summer you took pictures of me and Keith?" He asked so suddenly that Serena blinked in confusion.

"…Yeah." She said finally after a moment, her mind back to that night, running in the woods laughing with a camera in hand and Darien chasing her. "God, that was _years_ ago."

"Yeah." Darien agreed. "Hotaru…she, uh, reminded me of it." He rotated his helmet in his hands thoughtfully.

"You saved me that day." Serena admitted with a reminiscing smile. "I would've drowned if you hadn't pulled me out and…"

"I wasn't going to let you die five feet in front of me." Darien said it like it was a silly idea, shifting his weight before saying quietly, "I still won't."

Serena's heart pounded a little louder, but it didn't hurt quite the way she dreaded every morning it would. It was a nice ache of sorts, the kind she got when she was a child and Trista ran her fingertips on her scalp; it was knowing that she was cared for, looked after_, loved. _

"You're getting sweet on me, Eros." She tried to joke because the notion that Darien…felt that way towards her made her insanely uncomfortable in far too many ways. Darien's reply was to lean over his bike at her, a hand reaching out to cup her cheek.

Their relationship had always been physical. Well, _physically abusive_ for the most part between the pranks and fights they used to start. Over the past few months though, non-violent contact between them hadn't been anything new, between riding on Darien's bike, lifting each other into windows, Serena occasionally punching his arm and Darien sometimes pulling on her pigtail before she tried to chase something fluffy and/or pink. But this simple motion, Darien cupping Serena's cheek, was far more intimate than a gentle jostle, and she found herself turning in towards the touch. Darien took the move as a positive sign, shifting his hand to curl around her nape instead, drawing her towards him.

His face drew closer…and shifted upward, brushing aside her bangs as he murmured,

"You're imagining things, Cupid."

So Serena closed her eyes when his lips grazed her forehead because, if this really _was_ her imagination, it'd be okay when she'd open her eyes and find him gone. And when she finally did open them and found him still standing over her with an unreadable expression on his face, that nice ache twisted a little, because he was still there and…

_"You're going to leave!"_

And she closed her eyes again because Rini's cries were too close to the truth and Darien took that as a cue to give her one more kiss because, really, he couldn't think of anything else to get that look out of her eyes…

* * *

A couple of yards away, in a car parked with the headlights and motor off blended into the darkness, there went a resounding,

"What. The. Fuck?"

Because Keith Aduro was fairly certain he'd just witnessed a sign of the clearly-impending apocalypse.

* * *

**chickay**

In my defense of this overdue chapter, I just spent the last few months **graduating**, studying and eventually _passing my nursing board exam_ and finding employment in an economy that sucks eight levels of butt. So don't be too mad ;)

Yes, I know we've been focusing on the S+D coupling lately, but I figured they were overdue to have a moment to shine together. As sorry for that Rini-Serena thing; I wrote the scene a few years ago when I was traveling through Europe and I've basically spent the last month trying to find a way to make it fit...and I'm still not happy about it, honestly. Also, don't worry; the rest of our couples will be back in full swing ASAP. M+K haven't been in the mix at all have they? Well, we're going to have to do something about that…

Safe to say, December's dragging out. I meant to set up the chapters as a weekend for each month that the two get together to set up the couples (they _do_ have lives when I'm not writing about them you know) but there's just something about this phase that I can't quite move on from just yet (it helps that they're all on fictional break). It's getting harder and harder to move forward and I really hope you guys can find the patience to stick it out with me just a little longer~

At this point, I'd like to make a mathematical point:

Reviews = Happy chickay

Happy chickay = Motivated chickay

Motivated chickay = Chapters and Progress!

;)


	16. December V: Perverts and Crackheads

Cupid's Last

**Perverts and Crackheads and Tramps (oh my!)**

December V

* * *

Once upon a time, Darien Carson snipped one of Serena Tyler's pigtails.

_**Hell**_, as in that thing with **demons** and _brimstone_ and grinding of teeth, had reigned in the (surprisingly short) time it took for Serena to grow her hair back. Whatever mild irritation existed between the two escalated to full-on animosity and, for a lack of a more accurate description, "war." Mina had told Keith about Serena attacking Darien in the Arcade while he dryly shared how Nathan and Jason had to pull the two apart from each other, quipping, "You _wouldn't believe_ the shit they get into when they're not under actual supervision."

So when Keith Aduro catches the usually-homicidal duo in each other's presence without some kind of weapon in either hand, he's...confused. When Serena turns to Darien and smiles indulgently at something he laughs about, Keith's confusion escalates to concern because _clearly, _he has crossed into an alternative universe. It really _**is **_the only conclusion he can arrive to since it's _impossible_ for those two to be together within a thirty foot radius without harming each other.

But when Darien, his best friend, his _compadre,_ the one man Keith is sure in his bones he knows best, cups Serena Tyler's face in his hands and bends his head over hers, Keith flips the fuck out. Literally, his brain is so shocked at the visual that it shuts down the rest of his body. And when Darien repeats the motion and Serena doesn't hurl a high kick at his face, Keith just stares. And stares. And goes,

"**What**.**the**.**fuck**?"

And really, no one in their right mind (which clearly doesn't include the couple across from him, _NO_, he slaps himself! _NOT A COUPLE_!) would react differently. He watches like a creeper as Darien brushes Serena's cheeks with his thumbs and pulls her close to him. The movement, the ease, the way Darien and Serena all but melded together was so... familiar... like … they'd done it before...

And he's just so shocked at the absolute... _intimacy_ of it all that he can't bring himself to leave his car or make his presence known in any capacity; partially because he can't believe it, and partially because he's afraid to break this moment that feels precious and important.

The duo turns, and Keith shrinks into his seat, belatedly admonishing himself because, "Why the hell am I hiding?" and struggles to get up.

But it doesn't matter because Darien's on his bike, Serena's behind him and he knows he's not hallucinating when Darien's bike roars to life and the dirt gets kicked up and Keith _**clearly**_ sees Darien's hand clasp over Serena's around his waist lightly before they take off, Serena's pigtails like blonde streamers flying above Darien's taillights...

* * *

"_Do either of you happen to know someone named Darien or, or Serena by any chance-?"_

It was finally happening.

Raye, Zeke, and Amy were turning towards him, the beginnings of curiosity spreading on their faces. He was _finally_ going to get to the bottom of this…_thing_ that he couldn't shake about his friends. Jason was feeling this loud, pounding drumming of his heart in his ears as he felt himself about to teeter over the precipice of something huge…

And then lightning struck.

And then it downpoured.

Nope, not "rained." _**Downpoured**_. It's not a real word, but it really happened: clouds culminated to sit seemingly right atop the foursome before it started pouring cats, dogs and Jason could've sworn there were a few elephants in the mix too.

He blinked, barely unable to believe it. Jason stared at the heavens and threw up his arms, exasperatedly shouting, "**_Seriously_**?!" before letting a stream of steady and impressive expletives.

"Is he literally cursing the heavens?" Amy had to shout over the rain.

"What's actually surprising is that he's sober while he's doing it." Zeke shot back, draping the jacket in his arm over Amy's head in a very futile attempt to keep her from getting wet.

"Shit, shit shit!" Raye leaped to her feet, her clutch purse a poor excuse of a makeshift umbrella as she gestured to the group, "Come on! The temple's not too far!"

But the girl didn't take more than five steps before tripping over her murderous heels. She bared herself to hit concrete…and then realized she was being lifted…over Jason's shoulder.

"Y-You barbarian!" She thumped his back as he jogged down the sidewalk towards their-uh _her_- home.

"I'm sorry." He didn't stop. "Do you _want_ me to drop you so you can hobble the rest of the way home?"

"It's _your_ damn fault I'm hobbling in the first place!"

By the time they all ran back to the temple, they were soaked to the bone. Raye retrieved some towels for everyone before taking Amy to her room.

"We'll be back in a bit." Raye announced then pulled back when she remembered she was a hostess. "Oh! Do you want tea?"

"I got it." Jason dismissed, shaking his head into his towel.

"…Seriously?" Zeke stared at him.

"I've lived here for six months." Jason shrugged. "I'm sure I can manage making some tea."

"You make tea these days?" Zeke would've snickered if it wasn't so…un-Jason.

"If the Old Man's tired or Raye's at her review classes," Jason replied easily

"...You _are_ serious." Zeke said in something close to awe.

"It's tea." Jason said. "It's a no-brainer. Well," He corrected himself. "Unless you're doing it like the Old Man. I can usually get him to take mine but he gets really into it on some days and pulls a few tea ceremony demonstrations a few times a month."

"No kidding." Zeke mused, suddenly watching his friend closely for the first time in a while. A few months ago, Jason had walked around like a zombie strapped to a bomb with a deadman's switch: he didn't really give a shit because nothing mattered anymore.

Today, he followed his childhood friend walk around a home that wasn't his (or was it?) with a comfortable familiarity that he couldn't remember Jason having in his own parents' mansion.

"Yeah." Jason was saying, "You should see him. I mean, I know it's not your cup of tea," He interjected quickly with a bad pun and a laugh, "But he's fun to watch."

Zeke only nodded quietly and watched as Jason grabbed a pot and set it on the stove.

"It'll take seven minutes tops to start boiling." Jason explained to him as they walked away. "I'm not going to stand by waiting for it in these clothes." He gestured to his soaked shirt.

Zeke was reminded of his own soggy state and followed Jason to his room.

"Got anything I could borrow?"

"Probably," Jason smirked. "But if you want those skinny jeans you love I'm sure Raye has a few you can grab."

Zeke threw his balled shirt at Jason's laughing face and took the opportunity to look around. It wasn't a huge room, sparse with only Jason's bed, a few shelves along the wall, dresser, an old desk and an ancient TV that he wasn't sure still worked. Jason caught the look in Zeke's face and couldn't help smiling.

"Not what you were expecting, huh?"

"…It's just…so…"

"Small?" Jason offered. "Meager?"

"I was going to say 'not you,'" Zeke said dryly, catching the old shirt and gym pants Jason tossed at him. He frowned when he saw the initials "Z.N." on a tag. "_Are these mine_?"

"Does it matter?" Jason pulled an old Kings Academy shirt over his head and gestured around. "This was their guest bedroom before I moved in."

"I take it they don't have a lot of guests."

"You'd be surprised. Apparently, Raye's friends spent practically the whole summer coming over here."

"Oh really? And she hasn't killed you for hitting on them?"

"Honestly? Amy's the first one I've met." Jason confessed.

"Seriously?" Zeke looked skeptical. "You've lived with this girl for six months and you haven't met any of her friends?"

"She mentioned them, but they all go to a different school and they've been busy this year…" Jason trailed off, debating on keeping his admittedly-strange theory to himself. In the end, he relented, because this was just getting frustrating. "There _was_ this one girl that came by a while back. She was leaving just as I was coming out of the basement…"

"I feel like you're trying to tell me something," Zeke prodded, "But it'd help if you used actual words."

Instead of a friendly punch to his arm, Jason managed to surprise Zeke again by blurting, "_IthinkitwasSerena_."

Zeke stared at him. "…What?"

"I think it was Serena." Jason looked mildly sheepish like he couldn't believe he'd actually admitted his suspicion. "I thought it was weird, too. I mean, what are the odds I end up living with someone who knew Serena, right?"

"Well, Raye lives in a temple," Zeke rationalized. "As a public domain, it's entirely possible Serena could've stopped by here-"

"No, no." Jason dismissed quickly, turning to the small desk in the corner of his equally small room. "It'd be one thing if Raye had _met_ Serena once upon a time. But I mean Raye seriously _knows_ Serena.

"Look," Jason gestured with an object. "I found this here when I first moved in but I only remembered it after I saw Serena that day."

"You mean after you _thought_ you saw Serena." Zeke corrected even as he took the object.

It was a picture frame, encasing a photo of five girls, arms thrown around each other in familiar camaraderie. His eyes went straight to the meek (and younger-looking) Amy at the far left, looking more bright and open than he thought she could be, standing next to a slighter-framed Raye who had her arm around-

Zeke's eyes widened. "Woah! That _is_ Serena!" Then he looked to the right of those unmistakable blonde pigtails and blinked incredulously. "And that's-!"

"Mina." Jason nodded. "Yeah, that's Keith's little friend."

Zeke snorted. "Does he know she's not that '_little_' anymore?" He shook his head in disbelief, briefly glancing at the last girl, a tall brunette, who he didn't recognize. "What a small world…"

"…I don't think it's _that_ small." Jason said lowly. "Listen, the day that I saw Serena, and I'm _sure_ it's Serena," He hastily added when Zeke looked like he was about to dive into probability equations, "Because no one in their right mind wears their hair _that_ long in _that _style. When I saw her, she was leaving the temple…with Darien."

"…I think I remember," Zeke said after a moment of recollection. "Didn't he say that he ran into her and gave her a ride?"

"See, that's the thing," Jason made an uneasy face. "I think he lied-"

* * *

"Hey Jason?" Raye called out before coming to the room's door-frame, damp black hair pulled into a high ponytail. "Is tea ready yet?"

"In a few minutes." Jason hesitated for a second before pointing at the frame in Zeke's hands. "Nice picture by the way."

"Oh wow," Raye laughed when she took the photo, prompting Amy to walk in and ask,

"And what's so funny-!" She gasped when she recognized the phot. "Oh my goodness, Raye, where did you get that?"

"Who cares?" Raye pointed at the unidentified brunette and gushed, "Oooh, Lita looks so pretty here with her hair down."

"_**Lita**_?" Both girls were so engrossed in the memory in their hands that they didn't even glance at the astounded men two feet away from them.

"It's this girl here," Raye pointed carelessly to the young woman Jason and Zeke suddenly realized was currently dating their best friend, Nevan. "Lita Kingston. And this is Serena and Mina." She said of the two blondes in the photo, unaware that the men's small world was getting unnaturally smaller by the second.

"You know," Amy said musingly, "I think this is the only photo of all five of us that night..."

"You mean it's the only photo that survived Serena's trip to the lake that summer." Raye laughed, shaking her head…and Jason and Zeke had the strangest feeling like they'd heard this story before…

"Ah!" Amy startled Zeke out of an old memory of sleep away camp by clapping her hands together. "I remember now! We'd been taking pictures of each other all night before Serena pointed out that we needed a group photo."

"That's right." Raye laughed. "And then she somehow managed to bully Darien into taking this photo."

"_**Darien**_?" Jason croaked the name out in disbelief.

"Yeah. He's this guy who occasionally gives Serena a hard time." She grinned wickedly, "Honestly, I think they just have far too much sexual tension."

"Raye!" Amy admonished with a bark of laughter.

"Puh-lease! You know it's true!" Raye grinned.

"Of course I do." Amy said matter-of-factly. "It's no one's fault but their own that they can't figure out that they want to jump each other."

"Well, to be fair, they did jump each other. Several times, if I recall." Raye said with a roll of her eyes.

"God, all those fights!" Amy said, exasperated. Turning to Zeke and oblivious to the weird look on his face, she said, "I never followed what they were fighting about half the time but my goodness! You'd think they would seriously kill each other one day."

"Personally, I think they just couldn't get their hands off each other." Raye snorted and leaned toward Jason conspiratorially. "We actually let a few fights happen because it was fun to watch them go at it."

"_You allowed it_?" Zeke was so amused and caught up in this story that he couldn't stay fixated on these revelations for too long.

"It wasn't _that_ bad." Amy insisted defensively. "Trust me, if Serena couldn't hold her own against Darien we would've interjected in no time."

"Serena had been taking self-defense classes since she was a kid." Raye explained to the men (unnecessarily). "You wouldn't think it because she's so small and weak and klutzy-"

"Stop." Amy admonished with a laugh. "She's always been petite but you could only bully her after she stopped taking classes."

"Pssh." Raye waved a hand airily. "I could bully her whenever I wanted."

"Uh-huh." Amy laughed and turned to Zeke and whispered _very_ loudly, "We actually thought she bullied Serena because she had a _massive_ crush on Darien."

"AMY!" Raye practically screeched. Zeke laughed but stopped abruptly when he caught the expression on Jason's face. The man's face had seen stalled on the smile he'd been wearing, stretching a little too taut over his bones.

Zeke had a passing vision of Jason standing on the edge of a cliff and felt himself getting sicker by the second...until Raye turned.

"Don't listen to her," She said (ordered), red-faced. "She's a genius so she's partially insane."

"Hey!" Zeke and Amy simultaneously protested.

"It was years ago." Raye went on to Jason, although some tiny part of her brain mocked her for actually _explaining_ her pubescent self in the eyes of a man she had known for a handful of months. "I thought he was really dreamy-"

"Dreamy?" Jason repeated with the faintest hint of a smile forming and Raye felt like an idiot. She should just stop talking. What difference did it make that Jason knew about some old crush she had? It's not like it mattered to him right? So why couldn't she just ?

"Yes, dreamy." Raye forced herself to say. "But only for like, a year when we were still in middle school."

"But it was a hilarious year," Amy laughed a little before going, "Oh!"

And they all watched as Amy suddenly dropped to all fours...like a kitty.

"...I think I'm going to have to take your word for your friend being insane." Jason said after a moment.

"Amy, what _are_ you doing?" Raye said, exasperated.

"Well, you were obsessed with Darien." Amy said.

"I was not!" Raye insisted. "I just had a _crush_. We all had crushes and _getoutfromthere_!"

"Yes, but _I_ have proof!" Amy returned triumphantly, before scooting out from under the bed and pulling out a wood box.

"Oh Lord have mercy." Raye begged, staring at the box with trepidation. "I forgot all about that."

"Dare I ask what that is?" Zeke asked as Amy sat it on the table.

"Raye's dirty little secret." She said with a funny smirk that Zeke was pleasantly surprised to know she could make.

"...Are you telling me I've been sleeping on top of her secret this whole time?!"

"That sounds so wrong." Raye muttered even as she moved to stand by Amy.

"What _is_ all this?" Zeke had to ask. Amy smoothed the top of the box, lining a clean trail through the layer of dust with her fingers.

"Memories." Raye replied with a small smile, reaching for a photo with Mina waving at the camera from a volleyball court.

"I could've sworn Jason just told me you guys didn't go to the same school." Zeke said.

"We all attended the same middle school," She explained, passing a photo of all five girls wearing the same uniform to Jason. "But my father had me transfer to a private school after I graduated."

"But while we were there, Raye was part of the yearbook committee," Amy went on, showing Zach a photo clearly taken in front of a mirror of Raye holding up a camera with Lita and Serena flanking either side of her making silly faces. "After she submitted photos, we kept a few copies of us. Like this!

"_That_," She said, handing the photo to Zeke who turned it to Jason, "Is Darien, the object of Raye's one-sided affection."

"I hate you." Raye muttered insincerely.

Jason and Zeke stared at the photo while the girls bickered in the background.

Amy didn't have to point out it was Darien, of course, seeing as how they'd just spent time at his apartment a few nights before. In their hands was a younger Darien, wearing his middle school uniform, looking away from the camera, clearly unaware that the photo was being taken. Considering that they'd known him since they were kids, they had several photos of their own with the guy. But none quite like this...

"I don't even remember what they were fighting about." Raye said, suddenly appearing by Jason's side.

"Neither do I." Amy mused. "But it ended like it always did."

A young Darien Carson grinned cockily to the side, one hand tugging on a familiar pigtail belonging to-

"Serena looks like she's about to kill him." Amy said.

"And you're saying they were always like this?" Zeke asked in a faraway voice.

"Ooh yeah." Raye scoffed, taking the photo from him. "Honestly, I think she was a little depressed after he left for high school."

"Agreed. They could fight as much as they wanted," Amy went on, "But I think they were both relieved to have each other around when we finally went to school toghether...even if Darien did transfer halfway through it...

"You know," Amy said thoughtfully after a moment, "It's funny, but now that you've got me thinking about it, Kenny's been telling Andrew that he's seen them by the Garage together…"

"Serena and Darien? Yeah right." Raye shook her head, "Like they could survive five minutes without someone having to pull them apart- Oh! Hey, you guys went to Kings Academy?" She pointed at Jason's _Kings Academy_ t-shirt. "You know, Darien went there too. Did you know him?"

Jason shot Zeke a glance.

_Clearly, not as well as we thought we did..._

In the distance, the kettle whistled.

* * *

Jason left to get the tea while the other three gathered at the porch.

Raye and Amy made small talk over the pouring rain while Zeke tried to process the idea that the two girls he and Jason had been…involved (?) with in the past few months had histories with both Serena and Darien. Not to mention Nevan's new girlfriend? Really…what were the odds? And whoever this Kenny guy was confirmed that Jason wasn't simply hallucinating things. Which begged the question: what were Serena and Darien doing sneaking around the city together? Actually, _were_ they really sneaking around? It's not like anyone had really asked them…had they?

"-such a shame it started raining," Amy sighed, bringing him out of his reverie. She nodded at Raye sympathetically, "I know today was supposed to be a big day for you."

"It's fine." Raye shrugged. "In a way, I'm kind of relieved. I don't think I was remotely ready to deal with him today."

Zeke glanced between the women, unsure, "…should I not be listening to this?"

Amy smiled at his conscious discomfort, "Raye has daddy issues." She explained even as Raye protested, "She was supposed to meet up with him while Jason met up with his ex at the café today."

Raye grumbled, "It was a stupid idea."

"…you got him to meet with his ex?" Zeke was getting surprises by the crapload today. "That's…pretty impressive."

"Not really," Raye tried.

"Are you kidding me?" He scoffed, green eyes trying to see through the words Raye was trying not to say. "We couldn't even say her name for _weeks_ without him going catatonic on us."

Raye shifted uncomfortably under Zeke's gaze. She knew Jason had serious hangups on Anne and his brother, regardless of how he tried to shrug it off with redirection and crooked humor. Judging by the look Zeke was giving her, Raye had the most _ugly_ feeling that Jason was in a darker place than she had thought before he came to the temple.

"I knew they were engaged-" She tried only to be cut off.

"He sent our friend's car down a valley when she broke it off." He deadpanned, assessing Raye silently as her eyes widened.

"What-?" Raye and Amy both gasped.

"He wasn't in it," Zeke rushed to explain, pushing his glasses up his nose with an irritated twist to his mouth. "But it wasn't pretty.

"So yeah," He said with finality after a pause, nodding at Raye like she was right (for what? For Jason? Maybe...?), "You're pretty impressive to get him to agree, let alone actually show up, to meet with her."

"Wow." Amy turned to Raye with a smile that was too wide for her liking. "I didn't realize you two were _so close_."

"It's not like that-" She tried to protest.

"So what _is_ it like?" Zeke pressed, torn between being amused and curious (and mildly grateful).

"It was supposed to be this support thing-"

"'Support?'" Amy repeated in the same mocking tone as Zeke's.

"Yeah. Like, he was on my side and I would be on his and-"

"I'm sorry, I'm not following…"

"_We were supposed to be each other's cheerleaders_!"

Raye regretted the words even before Amy and Zeke fell over in hysterical laughter.

"She looks pissed so I'm scared to even ask what happened." Jason quipped, dropping the tray and grabbing Raye's wrist when she leaned to take one.

"This one's yours." He explained, instead picking up a cup she hadn't reached for with his other hand. "I steeped it a little longer than the others."

Raye gave him an unprecedented smile, "Thanks."

On the other side of the porch, Zeke leaned towards Amy. "You looked shocked."

Amy nodded with her eyebrows raised, watching Raye hold the cup within Jason's hand in an unguarded moment of familiarity.

"Considering that he still has all his limbs," She perked, "I'm entitled to a little surprise."

He chuckled low to her ears, handing her a cup of her own.

"What? Are you saying she'd literally cut guys like him down?"

"Oh?" She said airily in what Raye was stunned to recognize as actual flirting, "You didn't see her weapons room?"

"Y'know," Raye mused softly to Jason, "I think I like your friend."

"Yeah?" She nodded to Amy huddling close to Zeke confidingly.

"Any guy who gets that close to her without making her break out in hives gets my stamp of approval any day."

"That's unfair." Jason whined. "He's been here for twenty minutes and I've been there for half a year. When do I get my stamp?"

Raye smirked into her cup, "When you grab a pair of pom-poms and do a little dance for me."

* * *

Mina actually screamed when her window rolled open and Keith's head popped in.

"I think I'm losing my mind. Wha-**HEY**!" He faltered, nearly falling two stories, "Is that a _katana_?"

Mina blinked at him, her heart still pounding before looking at the shiny steel in her hands, poised to "strike down intruders and/or perverts who dare to enter your special space," as Raye had sweetly explained when Mina unwrapped her birthday present.

("Oh…how…nice?" She'd managed.

"I think the word you're looking for is '_disturbing_.'" Serena had quipped on the other side, already hugging the giant pink panda Mina had opened two minutes earlier… from Serena herself of course.)

"Raye thought I needed some security." Mina explained. She sheathed the katana and watched as Keith rolled into her room. "And why are you dressed like a burglar?"

"Black makes me look skinnier." He said, self-consciously zipping up his black hoodie before repeating, this time a little more empathically, "I think I'm losing my mind."

"And I'd love to hear about it," Mina said, crossing her arms and shifting her stance. "You know, maybe _**after**_ I put on some clothes?"

Keith blinked, then made the moment slightly more awkward by staring at Mina…dripping wet… in her towel. He turned around not-immediately and managed,

"…_Yeeeah_ you go do that."

* * *

"Have you seen Serena lately?"

Mina stared at him for a moment, eyebrow raised,

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, yeah," He raised his hands defensively. "I know it's a pretty stupid question-"

"Then why ask it?" Mina laughed good-naturedly, plopping down at the foot of her bed. "She's my best friend. We talk almost every day."

"I know you see each other in school all the time," Keith said haltingly, trying to look anywhere but at her legs, "But what about _out_ of school? Like, on the weekends and stuff?"

Mina blinked, clearly taken back by the question,

"I..." She stuttered after a moment, "I guess, lately, we haven't been spending a lot of time together on weekends. She told me she's putting in some hours working at Trista's shop and volunteering outside of Lunablanci." Mina shrugged. "But it's not like we go for stretches of days without seeing or speaking to each other."

"Huh."

Mina stopped rubbing the towel over her hair to look at Keith, head titled to one side thoughtfully as he seemed to stare right through the giant stuffed cat he'd gotten her for her 12th birthday that she'd lovingly named, "Artemis." (Its namesake had not been amused).

"Keith," She started, "Why are you so interested in Serena all of the sudden?"

She watched as a slow smile crept onto Keith's face at the question, one that made her realize just how much she'd missed it since she'd managed to royally screw up their relationship.

"Hey Mini," Her smile was a fond reflex at the nickname he'd given her when kisses could only transmit cooties instead of affection. "You up for a ride?"

* * *

Mina looked at Keith out of the corner of her eye, warily.

"Keith? Are you aware that it is midnight?"

"Uh-huh," Was the distracted reply.

"Okay," Mina tucked her hands into the arms of the black sweatshirt Keith insisted she wear before letting her in his car. "Are you aware that we're in a park?

"And that only _**perverts and crackheads **_show up at parks at midnight?" She pushed when Keith didn't answer her as he was too intent on driving...at 5 miles an hour...with his lights off.

"Keith you're being a creeper!" She hissed, smacking him on the arm, the most contact they'd had with each other all night since Keith had persuaded her to come along with him "to make sure I'm not losing my frickin' mind," as he'd so elegantly put it.

Keith chose to maturely reply by smacking her arm right back and hissing, "Shut it! They might hear you!"

"_**Who**_?" She fired back, then felt like an idiot for speaking in hushed tones in the confinement of his car, "The flashing perverts or the druggies buying smack from sketchy men under bridges? Because I honestly think they'll be more worried that we're here _trying to mug them_!" She gestured down to the black, baggy (mugger-esque) gym pants Keith had thrown at her.

"It's nothing like that." Keith tried not to sound exasperated though the corners of his mouth twitched.

"So we're dressed like grim reapers for shits and giggles?" She ground out.

Keith finally parked the car and glanced over at his passenger. Mina was staring outside her window, damp blond hair swept on either side of her face into pigtails, arms crossed in front of her now-well-hidden chest mutinously.

"Mini," He used her nickname again because it left a nice taste in his mouth, "I didn't bring you here to mug flashers or cokeheads."

* * *

"'I didn't bring you here to mug flashers or cokeheads,' Oh noo~" Mina's voice dripped with scathing sarcasm as she hoisted her leg in an extremely unnatural angle and vaulted upwards to the next branch. "You brought me here to _**swing like a fricking chimpanzee**_!" She hissed downward at the silver-blonde ponytail at the base of the tree she was King-Kong-ing her way up on.

Keith smirked and tried to hug himself as close to the tree as possible, "Try to think of yourself more of a panda."

Mina nearly lost her grip on a branch to look down at Keith, mouth agape and scandalized, "Are you seriously calling me a _fat_, **Asian bear**?"

"That hundreds of people adore-Hey! **OW**!" He took an acorn to the head and barely managed to duck another one before glaring upwards, "Cut it out!"

"**YOU** cut it out!" Mina shot back. "I have been very patient while you _dragged_ me out here in the _dead of the night_-"

"Pretty sure you climbed into my car willingly," Keith muttered under his breath.

"-and you _still_ haven't told me why I'm risking my neck twenty feet in the air." Mina finished by throwing another acorn at Keith's big, stupid, doo-doo head.

"Just shut up and look straight ahead." Keith commanded, swiping the acorn in mid-air. "No, no, a little to the left, no, _my_ left!"

"We're facing the same direction; it's _both _of our lefts!" Mina snapped.

"Just-Just turn to the park!" Keith shot back almost desperately. "I can't see from here with the bushes around the sandlot, but you should be able to see them from up there."

"_What_ are you talking about?" Mina was so exasperated she could cry. Popping into her room at an ungodly hour while she was practically naked then taking her to a park in the middle of the night and telling her to climb a fucking tree was **not** how she wanted to re-establish contact with Keith after nearly a month of radio silence on both their ends.

"Keith, this is ridiculous." She tried not to whine but found it near impossible. "There's no one out he-"

Keith's head whipped upwards the second Mina paused. He squinted into the dark and caught the way her tanned skin stuck out, face clearly frozen in shock. His face relaxed into a triumphant smile and he pumped his fist into the sky, crying in a hushed whisper,

"I knew it!" He jogged a lap around the tree. "I'm not crazy!"

Mina hurled another acorn at him, "Keith! Cut it out!"

"Ouch! Dammit Mini, those squirrels need them for hibernation!" He rubbed the sore spot on his head and watched as Mina swung down the branches to land in front of him, sticking the landing with arms overhead to score that perfect 10. She turned towards the park, clearly still in shock, cheeks red,

"I just can't believe they'd be here...doing that..."

"Well c'mon!" He grabbed her arm almost giddily. "Let's go say 'hi.'

"Just stay low." He added, as they crept along the space between the trees and the sandlot. He flashed a mischievous smile. "This is gonna be aw-"

Mina let out a squeak as Keith's hand –and really, the rest of his body- was tackled away from her.

Wait…Tackled?

"What the-"

Mina could only stare as Keith was literally tackled sideways from her vision, his hand mercifully losing grip on her forearm otherwise she would've gone down too. She raised a hand to smack the offending man who'd jumped Keith when the air was knocked out of her lungs as she toppled in the same direction as Keith with a very monkey-sounding "Oomph!"

Keith saw a pair of blonde pigtails fall sideways before his vision flashed red and a surge of adrenaline pumped through him.

"Mina!"

His fists landed two fast punches before he grabbed his offender's collar and flipped him over his body, sending the stranger rolling on the ground as Keith stumbled forward and lunged at the son of a bitch standing over his little Mini. Mina haphazardly thought that Keith could still tackle like he did in high school. The first punch he threw fell on dirt when the stranger managed to twist their head under Keith's weight to shout,

"Hey! Chill man!" The intruder groaned. "_**Keith**_! Back off!"

Keith's fist poised to throw down halted in mid-air when the hoodie (bearing his own high school mascot, now that he was up close) fell back and Keith found himself staring at,

"Zeke?!" He shouted, incredulous.

The man under him tried to smile as he brought a finger up to adjust his skewed glasses.

"Hey Keith," He wheezed as Keith's forearm pressed into his lungs. "What's up?"

"My blood pressure you piece of crap!" Mina growled, giving Zeke's a swift, albeit soft kick. "What the hell Zeke?"

"Seriously!" Keith released Zeke's collar with a hard shove and the skinnier man grunted under his weight. "What were you thinking tackling Mina?"

"Well, we figured I tackled harder," Jason groaned, rolling over and dropping his hoodie, one hand rubbing his backside as he approached the group. "And, to be fair, we thought you were someone else."

"So you're saying," Mina said as Keith grudgingly helped Zeke to his feet. "That you actually _were_ planning to assault someone tonight?"

"Totally, just not you guys." Zeke grimaced and then looked between Mina and Keith, "Aaand what are you two doing here?" He sing-song-ed mischievously.

"…at midnight…" Jason added.

"…in the park…" Zeke started laughing.

Mina's face practically burst into flames, frozen in humiliated horror while Keith could only stammer out the pathetic excuse of,

"Oh w-wait! It's not what it looks like! She and I! We're not-"

But it was too late because Zeke and Jason were already launching into a duet of "_Bow-chika-wow-wow_"s."

* * *

"And what the hell are you two doing here anyway?" Keith demanded after Jason and Zeke had gotten their porno-duet out of their systems.

"Waiting to maul people, for that matter?" Mina added.

"Actually, it's your own fault you were mauled." Zeke pointed at Mina.

She sighed, "I know I'm going to regret this, but what could I have _possibly _done to earn getting tackled?"

"Your hair." Jason tugged at a pigtail. "We saw two blonde tails in the night and figured you were Serena."

"_Serena?_" Keith repeated dumbly.

Mina massaged her temples, wishing against reality that she'd stayed at home instead of getting attacked by Keith's friends. "To add to my regrets, I have to ask: why would you even _want_ to tackle my best friend in the first place?"

"Eeh," Jason shrugged, "It's kind of a long story-

"-but it pretty much sums up to Serena and Darien-

"**What**?" Keith stared, feeling a familiar thrill shoot through him.

"-yeah, Darien's been weird lately-"

"This is ridiculous-" Mina groaned.

"-no, _it's true_." Zeke insisted. "But then we found out that-"

"-I was _nice and clean_ before I came out here-" The only sane person in the group continued.

"-and we started asking around and it turns out people had been seeing this couple-"

"Gross, don't call them that-" Jason scoffed.

"Fine, but people had been seeing this midget with weird pigtails-

"-in my PJs, all warm and comfy-"

"-with this guy who rode a motorcycle at this park lately-"

"Which is weird, because you'd think if they were meeting at parks they'd meet somewhere closer to the city instead of the outskirts-?"

"-_**unless**_ they didn't want people they knew to see them-"

"Oh my God, you're both delusional." Mina threw up her hands. "We're leaving and you two should too before a real mugger comes along."

She grabbed Keith's arm and moved to drag him back to the car.

It was like trying to move a mountain.

"No." The word sounded like an order instead of a statement, shutting everyone else up.

Mina stared, "Keith? You can't honestly be taking them seriously?"

"How can you not?" He demanded fervently. "You saw them together, too!"

"_What_?"

"**What**?!"

"What? No I didn't!" Mina scoffed…and then paused. "Wait, what do you mean '_too_'?"

"Wait, what do you mean you didn't see them together?" Keith stared back at her. "Didn't you see them when you climbed the-"

Mina interrupted him by gripping his forearm harder, a strange look on her face.

"What the hell did you _think_ I saw?"

"Serena and Darien." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Isn't that why you freaked when you came down from the tree?"

("You were up in a tree?" Jason broke in. "Like a panda?"

Mina bent down and threw an acorn at him before staring intently at Keith.)

"Why," She seethed, "The _hell_ would I see Serena and Darien _here _in the middle of the goddamned night together?"

"Didn't you hear what they just said?" Keith gestured almost wildly at Jason and Zeke, ignoring the fact that Mina rarely swore.

"I'm not going to take the word of anyone who throws himself at me in a dark park." She growled.

("Again," Zeke said, exasperated, "Small case of mistaken identity!")

"Then take mine!" Keith all but shouted. "I saw them together!"

"…w-what?" Mina stuttered.

"At the orphanage." Keith insisted. "I don't know what's going on but I saw them together and… They-they were…"

He made a large motion with his hands that said nothing and yet everything all at once. Mina seemed to lose all color in her face.

"_Why are you so shocked with this_?" Keith was genuinely confused. "You said you saw them when you climbed the tree-"

"I didn't."

"Mina," He sputtered, exasperated. "Don't deny it just because it's weird to see them together-"

"I'm not." She insisted even though her face was paler than his hair. "I didn't see _them_."

"T-Then why did you come down looking like you'd seen your parents having sex on a park bench? What the hell did you see?" Keith challenged almost desperately because it was like they were all missing something so very important from this picture…

Mina opened her mouth to reply when the bushes behind her leading to the sandlot shuddered and all eyes turned to behold Nevan Procella stumble forward with his shirt missing too many buttons, tie in one hand and a red-faced Lita Kingston in the other, wearing an extremely wrinkled skirt, hair that was askew, lipstick that was severely smeared and a blush the same color as Mina's favorite bow. They were laughing conspiratorially until Mina raised a finger at them nonchalantly and belatedly answered Keith,

"Them," They turned as if she'd summoned them and Lita stumbled in the process of slipping on her high heels, both frozen like horny deer-in-headlights.

A full minute passed with one, supremely loud cricket chirping before Jason, the King of Inopportune Moments awkwardly sang,

"_Bow-chika-wow-wow_?"

* * *

**chickay**

About 19 months ago, I started penning the first few lines of this chapter… and then I let another couple (!) months pass. Why? Well, as thin as it sounds, I've known in my heart that every chapter I write brings us all closer to the end. And honestly, I wasn't sure if I was ready for it.

And then a little while ago, I started writing something else…and it turned out to be the ending of CL. (Yes it exists!) And I knew I'd be incredibly selfish to not share it with all of you just because my muse goes MIA whenever it pleases. So **thank you, dear, wonderful readers** for all your continued (let's face it, sometimes undeserved) support and your reviews and your kind words and messages. I can't describe the happiness so many of you have given me by simply letting my story make you feel anything.

With that said, I have to apologize for this chapter. In terms of quality and prose and fluidity, it's not my best by a very long (light-years!) shot and I know you all deserve better after waiting so dang long. Regardless, the attention whore in me hopes you review anyway even it's to tell me that this chapter was _super subpar_ or if you **enjoyed the hijinks** of our favorite Targets. And I swear this is the end of December!

Happiness. Sunshine. **REVIEWS**! (please?)

**Edited 12/11/12: **I figured it out! While working on the next chapter, I kept stalling myself, wondering why I couldn't keep writing. And then I FIGURED IT OUT! My utter disatisfaction at this chapter was literally keeping me from moving forward so! I went back and rewrote a few parts, snuck in a few more lines and a chunk of a scene. In my attempt to move this story along, I relied a little too heavily on dialouge that I completely undermined my own narrative. Shame on chickay!

So now, I'm a lot more happy with this chapter. Maybe you are too. Or maybe it's your first time reading this. Either way, enjoy enjoy! See you soon!


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